A Doc, A Bookworm and a Box
by M.N.Moore
Summary: When a spaceship lands on the doorstep of Hogwarts, Hermione is charged with protecting wizardkind, only to find that the biggest adventure of her life waits inside a rubbish blue box...
1. A New Path

**A Doc, A Bookworm and a Box  
**

**Disclaimer: **I don't claim to own any of the characters written about in this story.

**Chapter One: Hermione**

The Second Wizarding War had been over for five years. Five years of peace, in which the Ministry had worked almost day and night to rebuild what had almost been destroyed at the hand of a Dark Wizard. Five years in which the wizarding world had struggled to recover from its losses and regain the spirit of magic. It had been a long journey, but everybody was beginning to think that they were almost there and Hermione Granger, now a chief investigator in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had been an integral part of getting back to a state of normalcy.

Normal for witches and wizards, that was.

She sat at her desk poring over the massive pile of folders that had built up over the course of a week. Mostly paperwork—she'd wrapped up most of the investigations already, with the exception of a few loose ends here and there. Now it was closing in on late evening. This was the part of the week that Hermione should have liked most. It meant getting to go home and have a hot bath, and getting to spend the weekend having dinner with her family away from family—the Weasleys.

She imagined that Ron was already planning a night out for just the two of them, as he had for most of the past few years since they'd started dating. And if the thought of that made her skin crawl just a little bit she ignored it. After all, she was very happy. Hadn't she gotten everything she'd always wanted? The war was over, with her and her two best friends unscathed and she had even walked away in a great relationship with the boy she'd liked ever since her third year of school.

So if she was starting to realize that it just wasn't enough, that she wanted…more…then she certainly wasn't going to admit it.

"Hermione! Are you busy?" Looking up, she saw Jason Wills standing in the doorway to her office.

"I'm about to go home for the weekend," she said, slapping the cover closed on the last of her workload. "Please don't tell me you've got something new."

"I'm sorry," he said. He winced when Hermione cursed, edging over to her desk and laying it directly at the center of the rest of them. "Just got it from the Minister himself. This is something big, everybody's in on it until we figure out what it is."

"Right." Ignoring the disappointment, and outright denying the tiny thrill of relief she felt, Hermione flipped to the first page. Her eyebrows shot up as she read, and then reread the details of the case. "You have got to be kidding me," she said.

"Absolutely not. You'd better get going soon, I think Potter already went down."

"Of course, then." Hermione got up, shrugging her official robes off her shoulders. "I'll be off." She traded the robes for an angle-length trenchcoat, something she thought of as a suitable alternative to magical robes when going out on a case. After all, you never knew when you may have to speak to a muggle—something that the rest of the Ministry sometimes forgot she thought with annoyance, remembering all the memory erasing charms she'd been forced to use when she first started.

In her left hip pocket she stuck a handful of small bottles filled to the brim with brightly colored potions, and on the right she placed a small leather-bound tome—a condensed magic book that acted as a quick reference to any curse, charm, or spell that had ever been created.

Then, in a pocket that she herself had sewn right over her heart, she slid the most important tool a witch or wizard could ever have. In her case, a fifteen inch long amalgamation of vine wood and dragon heartstring. Then, firmly locking the door to her office she made her way through the already emptied Ministry and down to the designated Apparation and Disapparation area.

For just a brief moment she was annoyed, thinking of the hot bath that waited her back at the little London flat she shared with Ginny. Then, remembering the strong likelihood that Ron would be there, she remembered that she had more important things to attend to. So rather than focus on her warm bed, a few blocks away and in walking distance, she thought of a field several miles to the north and, more to the point, just outside the front doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

When she arrived she found herself in the company of two dozen other Ministry employees. "Harry!" she cried out, seeing her oldest friend. She saw him make his apologies to the two young wizards he'd been speaking to and made his way over. But by the time he'd reached her, Hermione's attention had already been devoted to the large crater a couple hundred feet away and…more importantly...to the enormous disc-shaped object that was centered inside it.

"What the _hell _is that?" she spat out.

"I don't know." Harry moved close to her, lowering his voice. "Just don't say it, okay? I know what it looks like, but…"

"It looks like a bloody spaceship!" she blurted out. Harry cringed, and automatically everybody who had been close enough to hear her had spun around.

"Hey, did Potter share his theories with you?" laughed a witch Hermione recognized from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts department.

"I told you it wasn't a theory," he said, obviously having been over this argument before. "It's just a…its just that it looks a lot like a spaceship. Like a…like a…"

"Like an alien spacecraft," finished Hermione. "But they're not real. Maybe this is some sort of muggle hoax," she said.

"I'm sorry, but we've been over that already. There's traces of magic all over that thing," said Harry. "And they were there before it crash landed."

"Crash…landed?" Hermione spat out.

"You did notice the crater, didn't you?" Harry hissed. "The students saw it fall out of the sky this afternoon. They've been ordered to stay inside until the mess is cleared up."

Hermione was shaking her head before she even realized what she was doing. "So there's a witch or wizard somewhere replicating what the muggles think of as alien spacecraft? And to what bloody purpose?" she hissed.

"It's our job to find that out," said Harry. "My bet is its one of these freelancers that sprouted up after the war…you know, using the lowered restrictions to make muggle money with our magic," he said.

"Right," said Hermione. "Replicate a spaceship to make money off of muggles and then crash land it in the one place where not a single muggle can see it." She turned and gave Harry her best nice try, but I think I may have a better plan look.

With a shrug, Harry moved away from her. She followed him as they walked to the edge of the crater, a precipice that led to a drop of at least fifty feet into the ground. "According to Kingsley there are some muggles trying to get a closer look. He…ah…took one of them prisoner."

"_Prisoner?" _Hermione shrieked. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Not a proper prisoner. We've just got him here for interrogation," said Harry.

"You didn't have anything to do with this, right?" she said in a panic. Harry averted his gaze, and without so much as a warning Hermione smacked him in the arm. "You bloody git! You're the one who caught them!"

"They managed to breach the magical security!" Harry hissed. "That means there's something going on here…something that even the Prime Minister of the muggles is refusing to talk about!"

"Well, then what do you need me for?" she said. Once again she caught the look on Harry's face. She groaned, putting her hand over her eyes.

"We need you to talk to the muggle," said Harry.

"Why me?"

"This man…he talks in riddles. You're clever and…well…you're pretty," he said, blushing a little as he said it. "You're the only witch high up enough in the Magical Law Enforcement that the Minister trusts with this."

Hermione sighed. "And I'm muggle born, and…and that's a bloody spaceship. Wizards don't believe in aliens Harry. But this muggle does, doesn't he?"

Harry coughed. "Well…" he said slowly. "It's not just that."

"Then what it is?"

Harry put his hand on her shoulder, as if bracing her. "This muggle claims to _be _an alien."

* * *

The man had been seated in one of Hogwarts empty classrooms, and when Hermione found him he was leaning back in the teacher's chair, feet planted on top of the desk. "I've come to ask you a few questions," Hermione said. The man glanced up.

"Hello there!" His feet dropped to the ground and he extended his hand to hers. "Are you one of these wonderful humans who believes in magic?" he said animatedly.

"I…of course I do," Hermione stammered. Then, catching herself, she straightened to her full height. "Never mind that, I'm asking the questions. My name is Hermione Granger."

"Nice to meet you Miss…or is that Inspector? What do Magical Officers call themselves?"

"I don't care what you call me," Hermione interrupted, becoming increasingly annoyed. "What I need to know is what a muggle is doing in a highly restricted area! Did somebody let you in?" she demanded. Without realizing what she was doing Hermione had leaned over the desk so that her face was mere inches from the mans.

"I flew in," he said.

"That's impossible. There is a barrier surrounding the school, both from above and below."

"The school? That explains the wee little chairs! And the desk!" he laughed. "My, my, just when you think you've learned all you need to know about a race they come and surprise you. Just how many secret….mystical…organization things are there on earth?" he said. He had picked up a small portrait from the edge of the desk, staring at it as he turned it back and forth. "What is this, making this picture move? It's not a hologram…"

"Put it down," she demanded, "and talk to me." Physically removing the picture from his hand, she set it down out of his reach. "First tell me your name, and the names of any witches or wizards that you associate with."

The man raised his eyes to hers. "I'm called the Doctor," he said. "And I'm afraid to disappoint you, but I don't associate with witches and wizards." He stood up, reaching for something in his pocket. "Because witches and wizards don't exist."

Hermione reached for her own pocket. "Drop whatever that is," she barked.

"You drop whatever you've got," the man ordered back. He slowly withdrew a metal rod topped with a dull blue light. Hermione took out her wand and pointed it directly at him.

"A stick? You're going to attack me with a _stick?_"

"Expelliarmus!" Hermione shouted. The thing flew out of his hand and landed in hers. She swiftly pocketed it, keeping her wand trained on him. "You keep your hands where I can see them," she said. "And why don't you start telling me everything you know."

The man continued staring at her. "All right," he said finally. "But I want you take me to see whatever landed out there." He pointed through the window and to the field. "And then I want _you _to tell _me _where a whole mess of humans got their hands on ancient alien technology."

Hermione sat down across from him, keeping her wand trained on him. "Okay. Start at the beginning…Doctor."

The man grinned broadly. Before he started speaking Hermione took in the appearance of him…tall and slender, dressed in a suit and trainers on his feet. "I'm an alien. I followed that vessel because I saw it passing through your atmosphere."

"I'm supposed to believe in aliens and spaceships and…are you kidding me?" she choked out.

"You're expecting me to believe in magic and wands and…and unicorns and pixie dust," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "Why don't you just agree with me that _maybe _we aren't going to see eye to eye on this matter?"

"Okay, fine. So it came from outer space," she said. "And so did you. So where is your spaceship, Doctor?"

"It's in the forest over that way."

"You parked your spaceship in the Forbidden Forest?" Hermione shot to her feet. "Bloody hell, it'll be destroyed by the centaurs in no time flat! It could hurt them! Come on, you're taking me to it." She grabbed a hold of his jacket, leading him out of the castle.

"Hermione, where are you…"

"Busy!" she shouted to Harry. "Now show me!" she hissed.

"Your wish is my command. But just so we're clear, this place is called the Forbidden Forest?" he said, looking out at the heavy outcropping of trees that surrounded the castle.

"It is."

"And I'm supposing that it's forbidden then?" he said.

"From most, yeah," she said, jabbing him with the tip of her wand more out of annoyance than anything. That big warm bath was looking better and better as time went by, especially as it didn't look as if she were going to be getting home anytime soon. The Doctor led her straight to the edge of the forest.

"Now you said something that fascinated me," said the Doctor as they began to walk. "You mentioned Centaurs?"

"Centaurs, yeah. I guess you didn't know they were real?" she said.

"Big hairy blokes, half-horse on the bottom and man on top? Yeah, I know them. I just don't know what they're doing here on earth, that's all," he added in a low mumble.

"So you believe in centaurs but you don't believe in magic? You really are a strange muggle," said Hermione. She finally relaxed, placing both her own wand and the Doctor's weapon in her pocket.

"And just what does that term mean?" he said. "It's rather strange isn't in? Muggle…mug-mug-muggle." He enunciated each syllable slowly, as if considering the phrase.

"Muggles are non-magic people," said Hermione. "So tell me…why is it you believe in centaurs if you don't believe in witches?"

"Because centaurs are real. They have there own planet, there—" With a gesture he pointed upward into the sky. "In the Alpha Centauri system."

"Are you mad?" said Hermione. "Do you mean to tell me a star in the Centaurus constellation is the home to real centaurs?"

"The centaurus constellation?" The Doctor seemed to consider this. "Right clever, that is. Their kind were always stargazers. I bet a whole mess of them landed on earth a few centuries ago and taught humans everything they had to know about…oh bloody hell, what am I going about that for?" He cut left through a large row of shrubbery and Hermione followed. Had she not been looking where she was going she would have run directly into the side of a large blue box that had suddenly grown up right in her path.

"What the heck is this?" she shrieked.

"My ship! Beautiful, isn't she?"

"It's a monstrosity. Looks like rubbish," she said, rapping it on the side. "Now I know you're mad. I ought to just have the Minister wipe your brain clean and send you on your way."

The Doctor was staring at Hermione in horror. "You didn't just say that," he said in disbelief.

"Say what?"

"How could you say that about the Tardis?" Before Hermione could realize what was going on the door to the blue box was being yanked open and she was draw inside. And just when she thought she was going to be crammed right up next to the stranger she realized that she was in the middle of what was actually a very large space…and, whatever she might think, she was indoors.

"Oh, thank goodness, it's bigger on the inside than it is on the outside," she said with a sigh. The Doctor was staring at her expectantly and she raised her eyebrows. "What? I'm supposed to be impressed?"

"You mean you aren't?" his tone was incredulous.

"All I see is a muggle in possession of magical artifacts…which, in case you weren't aware, means that you are subject to immediate confiscation of said magical artifact." Hermione extended her wand and recited something that the Doctor didn't quite catch. His wrists went rigid and a smoky white material seemed to wrap around them. "I'll send somebody to retrieve it."

As he was led back from the Tardis, the Doctor was shaking his head. They were always impressed by the whole bigger inside than on the outside thing…what had gone wrong?

* * *

"Still no clue what it is?"

Harry shook his head in response to Kingsley's question. "Not a clue."

"What about that strange bloke? Hermione didn't get anything out of him?"

"I don't know. Hermione went storming off with him that way about a half hour ago." Harry pointed in the direction of the Forbidden Forest.

"Well, when she comes back tell her that we're calling off the investigation."

Harry did a double take. "You're what?" he stammered.

"I got in touch with the Prime Minister. She seems to have some idea of what's going on. We've authorized an organization called Torchwood to enter the premises and remove the artifact…with permission to erase their memories after they leave, of course."

"But do you think that's wise sir?" said Harry. He looked back down at the metal vessel. "It managed to get through the magical barriers."

"A fluke," said Kingsley firmly, "and one that we will investigate thoroughly. But we've been able to determine there's nothing remotely magical about it."

"In other words, it isn't our concern," said Harry. He rumpled his hair thoughtfully. "What do you think, Kingsley? Is it…I mean, do you think it's possible that those are _aliens?"_

"Of course not Harry…there's no such thing," he said, clapping Harry on the shoulder.

"But how can we be certain? With all the stars out there maybe there's something we've missed…wizards and muggles alike."

Kinsgley was shaking his head. "I just can't believe it. That sort of thing is impossible."

"I used to think magic was make-believe…impossible," said Harry. "Then one day a giant man brought me a letter and a whole mess of things changed in my life."

Kingsley turned to look at him, face breaking out into a broad and friendly grin. "Who knows, Harry? Maybe you're right, but it doesn't look like we're going to find out today. Come on, I'll buy you a drink at the Three Broomsticks…"

And they were just about to move from the site when they heard a strange pinging sound. "What was that?"

"I'm not sure. It sounds like…hammers."

They moved back to the ridge overlooking the ship. "Somebody's beating on it from the inside," said Harry. The sound grew in intensity, small metal domes appearing across the form of the ship. "Somebody's beating their way out!"

"This is madness!" Kingsley shouted. "Everybody, there's someone in there! Get that top open, they could be in danger!"

As one every witch and wizard moved to the edge of the crater, withdrawing their wands. Together they began to cast a severing spell, separating in one clean cut the roof of the craft from the rest of it.

What stood there, blinking in the sudden sunlight, was the last thing that Harry could possibly have expected. "Are those…are those house elves?" he said in astonishment.

"Really big, really ugly house elves," Kingsley said quietly. He stood up at attention, waving his hand. Every single one of the creatures, now armed with small silver hammers, turned and stared. "I am the Minister of Magic!" he called out. "Tell me who did this to you!"

"Power!" the House Elf cried back. Although just at this moment Harry was beginning to think that calling them that wasn't exactly correct. They had bulbous eyes, and large pointed ears just like their counterparts in the kitchens of Hogwarts. But there was something more to them…first off they were wearing clothes, which meant that whatever they were they weren't slaves.

Second of all, their mouths were filled with rows of sharp yellow teeth. Several had metal hoops through their ears, and many more had black tattoos marking their skin. But the biggest indicator that there was something odd with the creatures was the fact that the one who had just spoken, the one who was their leader, had just lunged at Kingsley with a shrill scream emanating from its lungs, teeth bared and headed straight for Kingsley's throat.

"Petrificus totalus!" Harry shouted. The spell hit the creature, causing it to wheel backwards for a moment blinking its large yellow eyes. But he wasn't stunned…far from it. Now he turned his full attention on Harry and began to creep towards him with a snarl at the back of its throat.

"Have you power?" it hissed.

"Er…hello, nice to meet you. I have friends that are house elves," he said cautiously. His gripped his wand beside him. "His name is Kreacher…you'd like him," he offered.

"What the hell is this? Some sort of house elf revolution?" muttered the man standing nearest to him. The thing turned its full attention on him now, springing before anybody had a chance to stop it. It lunged toward the man, sinking his teeth deep into his throat. Then, to the surprise of everybody, a bright yellow glow surrounded the both of them.

Harry felt a sinking in his stomach. "They're level 3 creatures! They will kill you! Everybody at arms!" he cried out. Over a dozen more of the creatures had now sped up the ridge from the fallen ship.

Across the crater he saw Kingsley staving off an attack. All across the field there were wizards battling the monsters but…and this was the strange thing to Harry…their magic didn't seem to be doing the littlest bit of good. "What's going on?" he groaned.

Just at that moment he saw movement from across the field. "Hermione! Get back!" he called out. This was of course the wrong thing to say because Hermione immediately broke out into a run, moving as quickly as she could towards them. The man from earlier was running behind her, hands together in what he recognized as a binding spell.

"Hermione! Go get help!"

"Bloody hell!" she cried out. "They're house elves!"

The man standing next to her looked goggle-eyed in shock. "You think these things are elves? And you think that I'm the one who's mad?" he said.

"Do you think you can help us?" she said.

Suddenly looking very serious, the Doctor looked at the man who had just been killed. "Absolutely. It's what I do."

Hermione seemed to wrestle with herself for a moment. Then suddenly she seemed to relent. "Fine." Immediately the bond she had put on his wrists was broken and he could move again. The first thing he did was dart out to her chest, grabbing from her pocket the object she'd taken earlier. "Sorry, pardon me," he said. "Now, the first thing you need to do is stop using your technology to fight the monsters. They're feeding off it."

"Technology?" said Harry.

"Magic! What you bloody call magic!" he said.

"Who the hell are you anyway?" said Harry in astonishment.

"The Doctor, apparently," she said. "Doctor, meet Harry."

"A pleasure." He spun around, hitting the creature with a blast of blue light from the thing he was carrying. "Now if you don't mind I think we have a school to save. Or hadn't you noticed?" he asked.

"Noticed what?"

"Those things." The Doctor turned to look at the castle that loomed high up overhead. The sun was glinting off the highest windows. "They're after your children."

They fought their way to Kingsley. "Order off all attacks!" said the Doctor.

"Impossible!" shouted Kingsley. "These things are…"

"Sir." Hermione reached out and took him by the arm. "I'm sorry, but I think he's right. We need to retreat…get inside the castle. They can't get inside, at least not immediately. These things are feeding off our magic. We're only making them stronger."

He stared at her for a long moment and then nodded, putting his hand behind her back and pushing her up the small hill and toward the front door. "Everybody to the castle!" He cried out. "Come on!"

They all rushed inside, closing the great door with every manner of spell and enchantment they could think of. There was a great deal of incomprehensible gibberish and panting for several moments until finally Hermione stood up. "They want our magic." Spinning around she jabbed her finger into the Doctor's chest. "Tell me everything you know. I might just be inclined to start believing in all your alien stuff if you make sense."

"Lovely, Hermione was it?" the Doctor said. "As far as I can tell the lot of you have gotten a hold of an ancient alien power source. What you all call magic."

"You're saying magic is alien?" said Harry in astonishment.

"It's pretty standard, really," said the Doctor. He started pacing back and forth. "A dying race seeks to leave behind a legacy somewhere, so they scour the universe looking for some poor primitive race to leave saddled with their 'gift'."

"It's happened before?"

"At least a dozen times with humans." The Doctor turned to face Hermione. "So you get a nice little parting gift from a now dead species, but only a handful of humans are compatible with the power source. So you get witches and wizards, and…"

His face seemed to light up suddenly. "Of course! Moegle!"

"Moegle?" Hermione spat out in surprise.

"It's an ancient term. A lot older than your earth. It means Other."

"So what's happening," said Hermione slowly, "is that magic is really an ancient power source given to us by aliens. And those things out there want it."

"Want it?" the Doctor moved close to the door. Outside they could hear the creatures scratching and clawing at the wood. "They think they deserve it. You hear that? What they're saying? The rightful heirs…"

Hermione paled. She looked at the Doctor's face then, cautiously, pressed her face against the wood. After a few moments she moved away. "How do we stop them then? How could we possibly stop them if we can't use magic? Doctor." She reached out, gripping the lapel of his suit. "There are hundreds of children in here. Hundreds of children who have this power, or whatever you want to call it. Save them."

The Doctor stared at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Right. We better get to work. Who knows the school best?"

All together everybody turned to stare at Harry. "Well, I guess that would be me then."

"I need some things."

Despite the tense situation Harry smirked. "I think I know of a place that'll have everything you could need, doctor."

Kingsley went to apprise the Headmistress of the situation while Harry and Hermione escorted the Doctor up the winding staircases and through the dark corridors. "Do these pictures actually move?" he asked in astonishment.

"Magic," said Hermione, smiling up at him.

"Interesting. Give humans one of the greatest powers in the universe and they use it to build bloody moving pictures."

"Muggles created the telly didn't they?" said Harry.

"Never thought of that," said the Doctor with a shrug. "I suppose you're right."

They turned a few more corridors, until finally they came to a large stretch of empty wall. "Why are we stopping?" whispered the Doctor. Hermione put her finger to her lips and gestured for him to wait. Harry began to move, back and forth across the corridor, and then as if out of nowhere a door appeared in front of the both of them.

"A hidden door! A very hidden door! Very impressive."

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement," said Hermione.

They stepped through the door and into a place that was immediately familiar to both Hermione and the Doctor. "This looks like the inside of your police box," she said.

"It doesn't just look like it. It is the inside of the Tardis." The Doctor was nodding, and then suddenly he grinned again. "Brilliant! Hermione, I want you to do exactly as I say. Harry, I wanted to ask you something…"

"Yes?"

"You acted as if you knew the creatures before they went all…bitey and tried to kill you. Have you seen anything like them?"

"They look just like house elves," said Hermione. "They're…"

"Slaves. A slave race…one that has had the docility bred out of them. And one that is still compatible with the old magic."

"How did you know?" said Hermione.

"When you're old enough you've seen it all," he said. "Harry, are there…elves…here?" When Harry nodded the Doctor started to laugh. "Great! Go and get them. Tell them we need them."

"Only if they're willing!" Hermione called after him as he took off. The Doctor started to gather up tools and bits and pieces of other devices. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to build a device that will reverse the brainwaves of the creatures. That should stimulate a sort of devolution. If we can capture the brain pattern of the creatures you know as house elves we should be able to stimulate the alien creatures into mimicking the neurostructure of the elves."

"So what you mean is we're turning the monsters back into elves?"

With a smirk on his face the Doctor nodded. "Good, yeah. That's exactly it."

They met the elves in the Great Hall. "So, do we have a volunteer?" he asked.

At least a dozen of them stepped forward. One of the larger elves, this one dressed in a tall pair of socks and a knit sweater rather than a pillowcase, like his brethren, raised his hand. "I was friend of Dobby. Dobby died to protect us. I will do whatever I must to protect us."

"Good man…elf…" the Doctor said. He knelt down, attaching a small spherical object to the creatures head with a series of little nodes. "It shouldn't hurt. Just hold on tight."

Then he clicked on the machine and everything began to pulsate. The elf went rigid, though his eyes were wide open. "The pulse will reach the monsters through the door. Is there a way to see what's going on?"

Harry nodded. He picked up a broom from the floor and kicked off the ground with it until he was flying at a level distance from one of the highest windows. "It's doing something!" he called down.

"Are they changing!"

"They're…slowing down. Wait…what just happened?"

"It's not working!" Hermione scrambled to the ground. The elf had regained consciousness and was beginning to protest that it was a bad elf for betraying his friends. He was about to punish himself when Kingsley stopped him.

"Magic interferes with mechanical objects," she said.

"A power surge," said the Doctor.

"Only an object powered by magic will work on Hogwarts grounds," she said. "It's in Hogwarts: A History."

"He's a space alien, I don't think he's read Hogwarts: A History Hermione!" shouted Harry.

"Well, what can we do?" she shouted back.

"Magic…the power! It can't hurt them but it may speed up the transformation," he said. He knelt down and ripped the cover off of what he'd built. "Come here, Hermione," he ordered. Without a thought she sat down on the ground beside him. He pulled her magic wand from her pocket, wrapping wire around the length of it. "Hold on tight," he whispered, holding her hand around it.

She felt like fire and ice, both at the same time, were ripping through her veins. The world began to fade in and out. She heard the words 'surge' somewhere outside of her consciousness. Finally it was enough. The world went black for a moment and then filled with color and sound again as she woke up, staring at the ceiling of the Great Hall.

"I haven't seen it since that night," was the first thing she said. The Doctor pulled her to her feet and she stumbled against him, groaning a little bit. When she looked around she saw that the door was open and a line of naked house elves, looking more than a little confused, were being handed new white pillowcases by the Headmistress.

"You did a wonderful job," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder. "What did you mean? That last thing you just said?" he asked.

Hermione glanced up at the ceiling of the Great Hall. "Up there. It's charmed to look like the sky above it. The last time I was here—that I really looked at it—that ceiling was burning bright red, like fire. We had a war, you see." Hermione brushed the hair out of her face, falling into step beside the Doctor as they made their way through the room. "A terrible war. So many people died…"

She felt his hand squeeze her shoulder. "I know how that feels," he muttered.

"Harry was the real hero." She looked over at her friend. "He died that night. He died to save us and he came back. But he's still just an ordinary man…and one of the most extraordinary I've ever known. Some people said I was a hero too."

She looked up at the Doctor, tears filling her eyes. "You know what I think?" he said. "I think you are." He took a step away from her. "And I think you're brilliant."

Hermione smiled. "A lot of people think I'm brilliant."

He began to laugh. "I've got to get going," he said. "Why don't you come with me?"

Hermione stared at him in shock. "What? You mean…" She began to smile, slowly. "You mean travel into outer space in a little blue box?"

"That bit of rubbish…as you so kindly put it…can travel clear across the universe and back," he said.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Hermione mused.

"It can travel through time," he added.

"I've been through time before," she said, eyes brightening. "That wasn't so bad either."

"Think about it Hermione. Every book ever written, and you could read every one of them…"

"Books?"

She seemed to think about it for a moment, then linked arms with the Doctor. "Harry?" she called out. He looked up at her. "I'm going on holiday. Tell Ron…well, just tell him I'll be around."

Then Hermione and the Doctor walked up the stairs into Hogwarts. There was a strange sound, a pulsating that filled the air. Several witches and wizards ran up the stairs, but Harry stayed put, suddenly besieged with melancholy at the idea that one of his first and greatest friends would no longer be there.

With a sigh, he smiled at the table where the three of them once sat. "To Hermione," he said quietly, raising an imaginary glass of pumpkin juice. "Here's to your own adventure."


	2. Our Founding Fathers

**A Doc, A Bookworm and a Box**

**Author's Note: **Thank you guys for your support of my story! I really do appreciate your positive reviews and I hope you continue to like the way my story is going.

**Chapter Two: Our Founding Fathers**

Had she known when she woke up that morning where she would as the day came to a close, Hermione wasn't certain what she would have said or what she would have done. She endured several moments of agonizing guilt as she realized the full impact of what she was getting herself into.

She could be gone for weeks, she thought, or what felt like weeks, and only a day might pass for Harry, Ron and Ginny…conversely, she might only feel as if she were gone for a few hours and go home to find that a year had gone by for the people that she loved.

But these feelings lasted for only a moment, because as soon as she had thought then the Doctor wheeled around on her, a spectacular gleam in his eyes and said, "Now how about it Hermione? Where do you want to go?"

"I get to choose?" she stammered. "How can I even decide something like that?"

"Well, for starters which way are we going to go…backward or forward?"

Hermione tapped her finger against her chin. "I always did like history," she said thoughtfully. "Now, when we say backward just how far back are we talking?"

"All the way, if you like," said the Doctor. "In fact, I think I know just the thing. Hang on tight, Miss Granger!" And with that he was darting manically across the bridge of the ship, making adjustments here and there as all around there was a great pulsation of light and a low thrumming noise that seemed to pierce straight into Hermione's soul. She yelped as she suddenly got the sensation of being thrown about, almost landing on the floor as the TARDIS went sailing into it's destination.

"Now that," she said, suppressing an uncharacteristic giggle, "was some ride."

"That was just the start of it," said the Doctor, extending his hand toward hers as he pushed open the doors and took a step outside. Hermione followed him, gasping as she beheld the lush landscape that surrounded them.

It occurred to her at that moment, when everything became real, that even after the events with the spaceship and the elves at Hogwarts that she really hadn't been expecting it all to be true. But here she was standing in some sort of paradise, and against everything that logic told her she knew without a doubt that they were standing in ancient Britain.

There was a certain lay to the land that was achingly familiar to her, like returning home to find that all the little things that made it your own have been removed, or replaced. The mountains that rose high up above were the only things that hadn't changed. She regarded them with wonder, and turning just slightly saw the small castle that would one day rise up to become Hogwarts. She was imagining the forest line pushed back several hundred feet, and picturing the small valley, now home to a handful of ramshackle huts, as the bustling village it would one day become, and knew that without a doubt…no matter how far away she was…she was still home.

"How far back did we go?" she asked in astonishment.

"About fifteen hundred years, give or take," he commented.

"Merlin's beard," she murmured. It was the time of the founders, those visionaries who had seen to the creation of a haven for people like Hermione—witches and wizards, and all others touched by magic. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Because, contrary to what your friend seemed to think, I have in fact read "Hogwarts: A History"," said the Doctor, withdrawing a mangled looking book from the inside pocket of his jacket. "Of course, I thought it was rubbish until you showed up with all your spectacular wand waving."

Hermione rolled her eyes, plucking the book from the Doctor. "That makes a grand total of two people I've ever known who's read the thing. So, you thought I might be interested in seeing the whole thing firsthand?" she asked, flipping through the pages until she found the section on the founders.

"Don't you?" he asked.

"Well of course." She tossed the book back to him and the two fell in step together, making their way down the steep ridge that led to the valley below.

They were halfway down when a stallion burst out from the covered forest. "Whoa!" the man cried out, rearing back just in time to avoid hitting Hermione. "What are you doing up here?" he cried out.

"We're just passing through!" said Hermione.

"Bit of fresh air, that's right," said the Doctor.

"These woods are dangerous." The man dismounted in one swift move, throwing the reins over the back of his horse. He was tall and broad, with a handsome face and a full mane of blonde hair. There was something fierce in his eyes, this was the thing that Hermione noticed most of all as the three stood in silence regarding one another. "I think you should return with me to the village."

"I'm sorry, we were just—"

"I'm sorry. It wasn't a suggestion."

"Listen…" the Doctor reached for his coat pocket, pulling out a leather bound item the size of a wallet. He presented it to the man, who stared at it for a moment. "We're just passing through, on official business. If you'd less us pass…"

He'd barely finished speaking when the man shoved the paper back at him. "Surely you jest if you think that such a simple trick could fool Godric Gryffindor."

"Gryffindor?" Hermione squeaked, clapping a hand over her mouth when the man spun around to look at her.

"As you see, your fame precedes you. Lead on," said the Doctor.

Walking ahead of Gryffindor, Hermione and the Doctor maintained their silence all the way to Hogsmeade. "What was that paper?" Hermione finally hissed.

"It's slightly psychic."

"And you really expected that to work on a wizard?" Hermione asked.

"It was worth a go," he said. Hermione groaned as they were ushered into a grimy looking little pub. They fell silent again as Gryffindor ordered them to take a seat at the table nearest the bar, where they spent several minutes being stared at by a one-eyed witch that by all appearances had already reached the second century mark. When Gryffindor returned he was followed by a tall, lean man with a hawk-like countenance He was dressed in emerald robes, and around his neck a snake was draped like a scarf.

"Salazar Slytherin," Hermione whispered to the Doctor before the two men sat down at the table with them.

Gryffindor was the first to speak. He laid one hand to rest atop the table and with the other casually caressed the end of his sword—a sword that was incredibly familiar to Hermione.

"I want to know who you are," he said. "And what you were doing in the forest."

"As I said earlier, we're just passing through," said the Doctor.

"Only the Four pass through that forest," said Slytherin. Of all the things that shocked Hermione, it was the sound of his voice. She hadn't really thought of it before—had never had a reason to. But she would have thought there'd be a roughness to his voice, or that it would have the high timbre of Voldemort, not that it would be warm and smooth as silk.

"We were just taking a little stroll…you know, it's really rude to try and scan somebody's brain without their permission," he said suddenly. Slytherin started and Gryffindor backed away from the table, reaching for his sword as the former took hold of his wand. Hermione's hand shot to her pocket and the Doctor came forth with his Sonic Screwdriver.

"Well, it looks like we're in a standoff," said Hermione under her breath. Just how she had ended up as the enemy of two of the most important wizards in magical history was not certain to her—for a wild moment her only thought was just how she was going to tell this story to the boys back home.

"If you want to pass through this place safely," said Slytherin suddenly, "then one of you must let me see inside your mind."

Hermione glanced over at the Doctor. He stared at her for a long moment, then nodded almost imperceptibly. All right…so the duty was going to fall to her. Hermione let her hand drop to the table. "Look inside mine," she said quietly. In a similar exchange to the one that she had just had with the Doctor, Slytherin and Gryffindor seemed to decide that this was acceptable. Without relinquishing his hold on his wand, Slytherin turned his gaze to hers.

"_Let me look at you, child," _she heard. A sedate quality took over, and she felt the channels of her thoughts and memories being opened and explored. Flashes of memory came to her—at eleven she opened the letter that would change the course of her life forever. A few months later she saw him for the first time—the boy with the lightning bolt shaped scar.

The time turner twisted around her neck, and a jolting leap through time, then a little while later a girl in blue dress robes crying on the grand staircase as she thought of the silly stubborn boy she couldn't help but love. The Dark Lord rising, and the death and destruction that followed and finally, the chaotic and nightmarish jumble of images and sounds that she had brought with her from the memory of that night.

She had just stepped into the TARDIS, once again, when she felt the hold on her mind released.

"Time traveler?" Slytherin moved back in astonishment. "A girl…so very far from home. And you…not even of this world." He was silent for several moments, then suddenly he rose to his feet. "You leave me no choice but to demand you come with us. Godric, ready the horses. And young lady," he added, turning his attention to her once more, "I would suggest you not attempt to escape."

Though it was unmistakably Hogwarts, it looked very little like the school that it would one day become. Only the most basic part of the castle had been formed—Hermione recognized the Great Hall, and the wide doors that led to the entrance. The Great Lake was much smaller than it would eventually become and, Hermione thought, was at this point in time completely squid free.

There was a petite woman with a round face and a shock of long black hair working in the gardens as they approached the building. She looked up, her dark and pretty face registering surprise.

"Find Rowena. We have a matter of some importance to discuss." All three men dismounted, and before Hermione could get down Godric had came around the side of her horse and put his hands at her waist. "May I?" he asked, pulling her down to the ground. Hermione blushed, stammering a quick thanks before they were ushered into the building.

"That's got to be Helga Hufflepuff," whispered Hermione to the Doctor, "and that would be…"

She trailed off as the tall blonde woman walked into the room. Hermione was astonished—not by her beauty, although there was that—but because it almost appeared to Hermione that she were looking at a living version of the Gray Lady. A remarkable silver diadem was shining against her golden hair…an artifact, Hermione thought with a sudden thrill, that she would destroy herself in several hundred years time.

"The last one I'm guessing," finished the Doctor. "Rowena Ravenclaw."

"Please, join us," said Helga, gesturing to the long table that filled the center of the room. The Doctor and Hermione sat at one side, and all but Helga taking a seat at the opposite end. She saw Slytherin touch Rowena's hand, and after a moment her eyes flashed open. Hermione imagined it to be an advanced form of the legilimency he had used on her earlier, a sort of thought transfer that instantly appraised Rowena of what was happening.

"How curious," she said. Her gaze slid around the table, settling firmly on the Doctor. "You have come very far." Then, unexpectedly, she smiled. "And you have come none too soon. Please, do not be alarmed. You are a guest here.

*****

"Some guest." Hermione moved to heavy wooden door, pushing against it. It didn't budge.

"Don't be too miffed," said the Doctor. "What's the use of having this nifty dungeon if you can't have any prisoners?" he asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She had a deep longing for her wand, which had been confiscated as Rowena _graciously _led them to their cell. She looked over at the Doctor, who was toying with his Sonic Screwdriver as he sat on a low bench next to her. He'd been allowed to keep it as none of the four had detected the presence of magic in it.

"So," she said finally, "are you going to get us out of here?"

"In just a moment. I was thinking. Hermione, it seemed to be like that Slytherin bloke…could he talk to snakes?"

"He was well known for it," said Hermione. "It was a trait that marked both him and his heirs for generations."

"Huh. There was something about him. The reptilian traits…and how incredibly strong his mind was. Almost got into mine," he added.

"A lot of great wizards have been skilled Legilimens," said Hermione. "What of it?"

"It's just that there was no power in it." The Doctor walked up to the door where Hermione stood, pressing his hand against the heavy oak. "Your magic…it's fueled entirely by this power source that was given to your kind, long ago. And I can detect traces of it all over the place." He pulled away, to Hermione's surprise leaning forward and giving the wood a quick lick. "You can even taste it…kind of metallic. There was nothing in the sort in Slytherin's probing. Which means his powers come from somewhere…or something…else."

"Wait," said Hermione, rounding on the Doctor. "Are you trying to tell me that Salazar Slytherin…one of the greatest wizards to ever live…was…"

"An alien? That's exactly what I'm getting at. Which means he isn't going to want the pair of us getting out of here anytime soon."

"But that's impossible!" said Hermione in shock.

"You just traveled over a thousand years in time with an alien. Trust me," he said, pulling out the screwdriver, "its not as impossible as you might think."

A blue light erupted from the screwdriver and the hinges of the door squeaked and gave way. He pushed it open, peering around the corner. "Come on!" he hissed, reaching for Hermione's hand as they broke into a run down the corridor.

"Shh! Somebody's coming!" hissed Hermione, yanking the doctor after her and ducking into a small chamber filled with several bright cauldrons, most simmering with freshly brewed potions.

The Doctor stayed at the door, ear pressed to it. "I think that's the little dark one," he said. Hermione stepped away, going to examine the various brews.

"I think this one is the Draught of Living Death," she said. "And this one…a love potion?" she said in surprise. "It smells like the thing…or person…you most desire," she said. She tried to avoid the vapors floating up from the cauldron, unable to escape a brief whiff. At one time, she had been reminded of the Burrow when she smelt it, remembering boys cologne and grass clippings. She didn't know whether it dismayed her or not, but she wasn't surprised to find that the scent had changed…but to what, she couldn't tell, although she was reminded of the musky scent of thousands of books rounded up in a library.

"What's that clear one, there?" he asked.

Hermione looked down at the next cauldron in line. "Veritaserum," she breathed. "Just finished, from the looks of it. The Truth-Teller's Brew," she added. Her fingers twitched as she spotted a tray of glass vials. "It could be useful," she breathed. The Doctor's hand closed over her own and he shook his head.

"No, Hermione. Not this time."

She looked up at him, then nodded. "You're right." She was about to step away from the table completely when the Doctor himself rounded on the last of the cauldrons, this one a heavy looking silver metal. "Platinum," he said in surprise.

"Platinum? That's never been used in potion making." She glanced over the lip of the cauldron, gasping when she saw what was inside. "Oh my God!"

There was a head inside. More to the fact, _her _head was inside. She felt a wave of nausea overtake her as it bobbed up to the surface, wide brown eyes staring sightlessly up at her. "Oh my God," she said again. She fell into the Doctor's outstretched arms, fighting to overcome the wave of nausea that had overtaken her. "What the hell is that?"

"A clone…or part of one," said the Doctor. Releasing Hermione, he moved to scan the head with the screwdriver. "It's not flesh," he said finally, reaching into the cauldron to pull it up by the hair.

Hermione took a large step back. The Doctor lifted it up, staring at it for a moment. "Plastic," he said, tossing it to her.

It weighed no more than a pound. This was the first thought that came to Hermione when she caught it, although she wasn't certain why this was the thing she noticed. She traced her finger along the cheek, feeling the slick plastic underneath her fingers. "It's a strange color," she commented.

"About the color of your friend Salazar," said the Doctor. Disgusted, Hermione dropped the thing back into the cauldron.

"Why plastic?" said Hermione. "Plastic doesn't even exist in this world. And wizards have never used it, for anything."

"It's not any ordinary plastic," said the Doctor. "It's alien, and organic."

"So what's it doing here, and looking like me?"

They were silent for a long moment. Finally, taking her by the shoulder, the Doctor said, "We'd better be going."

The hall was now deserted. They fled, not stopping until the reached the first floor. "Where do you think they'll have put my wand?" she asked.

"Is it really that important?" he replied.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "What part of this whole 'witch' thing don't you understand?" she asked. "Anyway, what would you do if you lost that thing?"

They whispered back and forth for several seconds, until somebody announced themselves with a quiet cough. The turned—Gryffindor was standing there, his hand on his sword as he regarded the both of them.

"There has been some strangeness afoot," he said. "I saw what was in your mind. I'm sorry," he added quickly, "but I let myself look when Salazar was looking. You come from somewhere further on in time. And you know our history." From the insides of his robes he withdrew a familiar book. "You know who we are…and what becomes of us."

Hermione was shaking. She started to take a step back, debating whether or not to run, when Gryffindor put his hand to hers. "Please. All that we have built is on the verge of ruin. Help us."

Salazar Slytherin had not always been the man that he would be remembered as for centuries after.

Hermione listened to Gryffindor's story in a mild state of shock It was hard to believe, given over a decade of history lessons and personal experience that to Hermione all to well confirmed something completely different. But the story of Salazar Slytherin was unexpected and, to her at least, more than a little frightening.

He had been a young boy whose parents had been killed by muggles. They hadn't been strong enough to defend themselves, Gryffindor said, as there had been nobody to train them, and Slytherin had been left alone in the world until the man had come along. Their mentor—Anton Hogwart—had adopted Slytherin, and later taught the other three.

Slytherin had always been hard and cold, and had never been able to forgive the muggles for what had happened to his family. But never before had he been callous. Never before had he been a murderer, until the day that the new creatures arrived in the Forbidden Forest.

"Basilisks," Hermione gasped when the word came about.

"We've had an invasion of them," said Gryffindor. "Of course Salazar can control them. He claims that the school will be safe so long as he and his heirs remain there, keeping them at bay."

"Could he control snakes before?" asked the Doctor.

"No. It was…sudden and strange."

"I knew it." The Doctor looked troubled all of a sudden. "I think I know what's going on here. Godric, you need to…"

"He needs to what?"

The three of them turned around. "You have got to be kidding me," said Hermione, as she looked at a near perfect duplicate of herself. The clone was wearing emerald robes, and holding something that made Hermione suddenly very, very angry.

"That is my wand," she said.

"I am you. A better version of you," said the clone. Her lips curled away from her teeth, tongue snaking between them. "And you will not return to your time. We require your knowledge." The clone held up her wand, pointing it directly at Hermione's chest.

"Can she use that thing?" asked the Doctor.

"I think she was created with it," said Hermione. "Magical wands are very personal objects. They acquire the essence of person…like a magical DNA…"

"And when Slytherin took your wand he used it to create your doppelganger," the Doctor finished.

"The wand…my wand!" Hermione's mind began to run in overdrive. She thought of all the wand theory she had ever heard of, even remembering the exact way that Harry had defeated Voldemort five years before. Then it came to her in a flash. She grabbed the Doctor's arm, yanking the screwdriver from his hand.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" he shouted.

"Your weapon is no match for me," said the clone. Her eyes blinked, a filmy second eyelid coming sideways over her iris. Hermione shuddered, gripping the screwdriver tight before extending her hand back to the Doctor.

"Take it back from me!" she ordered.

The Doctor was giving her his best 'you are completely mad' look, reaching over to pluck it back from her hand. Hermione rounded back on the clone, who still had the wand pointed at her breast.

"Avada—!" the clone shouted.

"Expelliarmus!" Gryffindor roared. Hermione's wand flew up from the clone's hand before she could finish the spell. It landed in the palm of his hand.

"You know a lot about wand law," said Gryffindor. "You forced the wand out of your own hand."

"I've seen that sort of thing before," said Hermione. "Pretty clever way of fighting a battle, actually."

The clone was now hunched over, spittle dripping from her teeth. Hermione began to back toward Gryffindor as it spoke, it's voice taking on a hissing quality. "You will die, girl from the future. And I will slaughter the man from the stars." It began to laugh, a gravelly sound that filled the room.

"Not if I kill you first," said Hermione. She reached out behind her, taking hold of Gryffindor's hand. It was gripped around the hilt of his sword and, wordlessly, he relinquished it into her grasp.

"I know everything you know," said the snake. "And I'm stronger."

"Thought transfer," said the Doctor. "Slytherin took a copy of your thoughts and put them into its head."

"Very clever," said the clone. "If the Basilisk had need of an ally you would do nicely."

Hermione slid the sword from Gryffindor's hand, keeping it hidden behind her back. "So you can see everything I've seen?" she asked. "You remember everything I remember?"

"What an extraordinary life for such an ordinary child," said the creature.

"Then perhaps you'll remember three things. First of all I am a Gryffindor, through and through." She stood up straight, staring into the bright green eyes of the monster. "Second of all, think about what my best friend did to the last of your species on earth. And third of all…" she lunged forward, swinging the sword in a perfect arc and met the monster's neck. The head went lolling down onto the floor, syrupy green blood, spraying across the hardwood, "I really, really hate snakes."

The Doctor winced, moving forward to peer at what was left of the clone, once again using the screwdriver to scan it. "The body is a skin," he said after a moment. "The Basilisk creature is inside. The body and skin hadn't fused yet."

"What did that mean?"

Hermione and the Doctor turned around to see Gryffindor staring at her strangely. She handed him the sword, allowing herself a small smile. "I was sorted into your house my first year in Gryffindor," she said.

He regarded her for a moment. "I am proud to have you," he said.

"I hate to interrupt this little moment,' said the Doctor,, "but there are more of the creatures on their way. I suggest you take your wand back and run!"

She took it, and together the three of them made their way back to the Great Hall. Hermione slammed into the Doctor as he came to a hold, taking hold of him as she peered over his shoulder to see what was going on.

At the center of the hall stood Salazar Slytherin, flanked on either side by the other two founders. "You will not defeat me," he said. He raised his wand, pointing it directly at them.

"What have you done with my friends?" said Gryffindor. His sword was drawn, still covered with the blood of the Hermione-clone. Slytherin's gaze fell down to it, then slowly crept back up to meet Hermione's gaze.

"You are such a clever girl. It will be almost an honor to destroy you."

"You will do no such thing," said Gryffindor. They sprang into action, Gryffindor locked into battle with Slytherin while Hermione and the Doctor were forced to face Rowena and Helga. After a fierce few moments they got past the door and began to run, not stopping until they reached the landing that would one day lead to the astronomy tower.

"They'll be harder to defeat. They've been in their forms longer," said the Doctor.

"Then what are we going to do?" asked Hermione.

The Doctor was silent for a long moment. "Hermione, you said that you have basilisks in your world. What can you tell me about them?"

"Giant snakes with petrifying gazes…they're susceptible to the sound of a rooster crowing, and…"

"What did you say?"

"Their gaze is petrifying." Then the implication of what she was saying hit her. If the gaze of the Basilisk was petrifying, why hadn't she already been turned to stone, or killed? She had stared directly into the eyes of the beast.

"These are just infants," she said.

The Doctor nodded. "And if they are, then their mothers must be not far off."

"We can't kill it," said Hermione suddenly.

"I think we could, given…"

"No." Hermione's head dropped. "It's an important part of our history. My history—Harry Potter defeats the basilisk, and in turn is able to defeat Voldemort. But I think I know what we can do," she said. "Follow me."

It wasn't a girl's restroom, at that time. It was a massive laboratory for the study of alchemy, a practice that Hogwarts had abandoned sometime after the days of Nicholas Flamel.

"He was real, you know," said Hermione, as she searched the small room for the series of taps that would let them down into the Chamber of Secrets. "Nicholas Flamel. He died about ten years ago."

"The alchemist Nicholas Flamel," said the Doctor. "Creator of the Philosopher's Stone. I guess he really did manage to achieve some manner of immortality. How about it, any more celebrity witches and/or wizards I should know about?"

"Anne Boleyn, and Queen Elizabeth the First of course."

"Not surprising," said the Doctor.

"Jane Austen."

"Oh come on," he said. He began running his fingers along the drains. "You're kidding."

"I am not. She wrote several books about the magical world. 'Magic and Moderation', 'Hestia', and the sequel to 'Pride and Prejudice'. I actually prefer it to the original. Let me see," she considered as she came closer to the area where she was certain the tap would be. "J.R.R. Tolkien was a wizard. The Lord of the Rings is actually the collected history of the fairy race. He got it all wrong about the elves though."

"Tolkien? I met him once." He sat back for a moment. "You know, honestly, I'm not surprised. What about…ooh, I don't know…Nostradamus?"

"No. He was a nutter." Hermione sighed when she found the tap, pushing aside the piles of scrolls and magical instruments to reveal it. The snakes on the tap were just as she remembered, though much newer in appearance. "Now, let's see if I can remember how to do this," she said. Then she paused. "The Tardis translates everything, does it?"

"Absolutely everything."

"Then it should translate Parselmouth." She hit the top with her wand. "Oy, open up," she said. Almost automatically the tap pulled back, revealing a gaping hole that led down into the heart of the castle. She conjured up a long, dense rope, fastening it to the head of the top.

"So what do we need to do?" he asked.

"The legend has always been that the basilisk slept in the heart of the castle, and it slept until Tom Riddle woke it, in my time. So we just need to make sure it takes a nap for a few centuries."

"Without the mother to nourish them, the infants will die," said the Doctor. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. "Now how…how…I've got it! Snakes are cold-blooded. I noticed something about the Hermione head when I picked it up in the laboratory…it was warm. What if those skins do more than conceal it?"

"The organic plastic," said Hermione. "It insulates them."

"Here we go." The Doctor led the way down the tunnel, Hermione close behind him. They fell down into a pit that was filled with fire. Everywhere they looked torches lined the stone walls. It had to have been well over a hundred degrees inside, or hotter. Hermione got the impression that she was walking into a brick oven.

"Mummy's not home," said the Doctor.

"Then we'll need to bring her home." Hermione walked along the side of the room, to where enormous stone drains stood high up on the walls. She leaned into one, then turned to look at the Doctor.

He nodded at her. Hermione pointed her wand toward the hole. "Expecto Patronum!" she cried out. A silvery mist erupted from her wand, and using her mind to control it Hermione sent the Patronus flying along the drains. After several minutes there was a loud screeching. Hermione maintained the spell for just an instant longer. Then, breaking it, she turned.

"I suggest we start putting out the fire, now."

There were hundreds of flames, and the Basilisk was swiftly approaching. "We'll never get them all out in time," she said.

Then, in the midst of putting out a torch, the Doctor stopped. "Can you get some items from the laboratory? Quickly?"

"What do you need," she asked.

He requested a handful of chemicals—chemicals in just as common usage in muggle labs as in wizarding ones, she noted. Carefully summoning them down to her, the Doctor began to mix them at the center of the room. He held on to the last bottle and looked back. "Get to the side of the room, and hold your breath," he said. "Now."

At just that instant the basilisk burst into the room. Hermione pressed herself against the wall, averting her gaze from the monster's direction. Suddenly, there was an enormous explosion. The shockwave pressed her up against the brick, knocking the breath out of her. Despite her instructions she tried to take a deep breath, realizing in an instant two things.

There was no air in the room, at all. And it had gone completely black.

"Doctor?" she whispered.

There was a loud screeching. The monster rounded on her, and Hermione scrambled out of the way as it crashed into the wall. Suddenly she felt the Doctor's hand surround hers. She was growing dizzy as the lack of air began to get to her. She was taking shallow breaths, none of which were pumping any oxygen into her lungs, and her eyes were beginning to tear up.

She felt the Doctor put his arm around her waist. He pulled the both of them up and out of the pit, fighting against the gush of air that was rushing into the chamber to replace the air that had been lost in the vacuum. Hermione's eyes fluttered—she passed out, head falling against the Doctor's shoulders. He closed the top and then lifted Hermione into his arms, taking her with him to the entrance.

***

Godric Gryffindor stood over the bodies of whatever it was that had taken the place of his friends. He didn't yet know where Rowena and Helga were. Slytherin, he knew without having to ask, was gone to him forever, the doppelganger escaped into the night…to create his heirs, as Gryffindor knew would be the mark of the future.

The Doctor came down with Hermione in his arms. She was beginning to stir, and he carefully deposited her on a table, where she was able to sit upright and take several deep breaths.

"The Chamber that connects to the third floor—close it off completely." He shook Gryffindor's hand. "Something tells me that you'll find the other two, all in good time."

"I am certain I will. Like you, I know what it means to be friends with strong women." He looked at Hermione where she was sitting. He picked up the trench coat, where it had been left that morning, and draped it over her shoulders. "Take care of her," he said. "People who get sorted in my house have a habit of finding trouble," he added.

"I'll make a note of it," said the Doctor. "I also get the feeling this isn't the last I'll be seeing of you. However, I think that you can handle the rest of the basilisks on your own. I'm going to get her out of her."

"Go on, old friend," said Gryffindor.

The Doctor began to walk away, then glanced up at the ceiling. A painted mural of fairies and dragons danced overhead. He paused, then went back to Gryffindor. "I do have one little suggestion. Actually, two," he said. "The first is that you might want to put in a room where one may find…ooh, I don't know…anything they require. And the second…"

The Doctor stared upward. "It would be nice if you gave the kids a place where they could see the stars. Until next time," he added. And, helping Hermione to her feet, he led her from the castle and out into the cool night air.


	3. The Castle in the Sky

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to say thank you for the positive reviews on this story! Fair warning, I have a lot of ideas for this, so much so that I probably will write at least two separate stories to finish everything off the way that I'm planning. I hope you like my ideas, I'll probably be posting like mad until summer really kicks in and I'm forced to labor away at my day job (as a Caricaturist at a noted American theme park.)

**Chapter Three: The Castle in the Sky**

"So this is the future?" said Hermione as she stepped out of the TARDIS. She was standing on the edge of a field shrouded in fog. Great metal spires rose up in the distance, appearing in the midst of the mist.

"Six or seven thousand years in, give or take." The Doctor followed her out, frowning as he took in the world around him. "Now what's this?" he mused. "This isn't where I meant to go. Hold on…" he squinted as a cloud moved out of the way and a sign appeared. "No, that can't be…"

"Azkaban.," said Hermione, eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Another magical place. You just can't stay away, can you?"

"I didn't mean to come here. I think…it's highly possible that the TARDIS is being drawn to places with high magical energy."

"You mean I'm some sort of magical magnet?" said Hermione with a smirk.

"Yeah, I guess you could call it that." He stood still for a long minute, then seemed to shrug. "Right then. Well, as long as we're here let's take a look."

They moved into the clouds. Everything disappeared for several seconds while they moved through it. "I can't believe my world still exists," she said. "It's kind of nice, you know? Knowing that something like this never changes…"

She trailed off as they left the cover of clouds and the castle came into view. But it wasn't the castle she expected. A tall steel structure rose up before her, an amalgamation of steel and glass that seemed to be almost the size of a small skyscraper.

"Never say never," said the Doctor. With that, he strode up to the front gate and pressed the buzzer.

Several moments passed. The Doctor, taking a step back to look up at the towering structure, frowned. "There's something not quite right about this. Something feels…strange."

"It is a prison…you remember what I told you?," said Hermione. "Nobody's answering," she said after a few more moments had passed. "I wonder what's going on…something doesn't seem right. I've been to the Azkaban of my time. It's supposed to feel…hopeless. But this is different. I'm curious as to why."

"That makes two of us. We have to get in there," he said. She looked around, tugging on the Doctor's arm. Together they ran along the side of the castle, skirting the edge of several stone structures that jutted out of the ground. They made their way toward the back of the building, where the Doctor stopped her.

"Hold on a minute," he said. "Something's shifting."

Hermione stood still, staring at the Doctor as he knelt to the ground, open palm against the earth. There was a sudden low rumble. Hermione shrieked as she was pitched forward andthe rumble turned into an enormous quake. She felt the Doctor put his arms around her shoulder as the two of them fell to the ground. It seemed an eternity passed before the shaking stopped.

Slowly the two got to their feet. "What was that?" Hermione whispered.

"This ground isn't stable," said the Doctor. "And these clouds…Hermione?" he said, eyebrows lifting. "I don't think we're in Scotland anymore."

"Or on earth, for that matter," she said sickly. Slowly she made her way across the field, stopping at the edge of what at first seemed to be a high cliff. She looked down, feeling her stomach drop out from under her. "Look at this. We're…flying," she said.

Far below her, through the thick cover of clouds, she saw the dark blue crescent of an ocean. "There's something wrong with those clouds," she said.

"They're poisonous," said the Doctor. "And now I know exactly where…and when…we are."

Taking the Doctor by the arm, Hermione made her way back to the side of the castle. "We need to find a way in," she said. "Figure out what's going on."

"I think I may have found a way," said the Doctor. "Come on."

Several moments of searching revealed a small hatch at the very back of the building. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver, and with a high pitched squeal the door flew open, revealing a small tunnel just barely large enough for a human to squeeze through. "I've been wondering," said Hermione. "Technology isn't supposed to work around high concentrations of magic. That's several times now that you've used that thing."

"Advanced technology. Your 'muggles' haven't invented anything yet that's able to overpower your 'magic'."

Hermione stared at him for a second. "I'm going in," she said finally. She pulled off her trench coat, removing her wand from the inner pocket before she pushed her way into the tunnel. She heard the Doctor behind her, and moving forward found herself in pitch darkness. She kept moving forward until she saw a glimpse of light in the distance. "I see something," she whispered, voice echoing through the shadows. "I'm going toward it."

"Be careful," said the Doctor. Hermione nodded, and after scuttling along for several more minutes she came out into a small room. "It's some sort of infirmary," she informed him as he came out after her. There were several small cots lining the room, and shelves lined with small vials full of variously colored potions.

"There's somebody coming," said the Doctor suddenly. He began to reach for his psychic paper. Hermione swatted at his hand, with a hissed '_that won't work!'._

The Doctor muttered a quick apology. Hermione held her wand at the ready and the door to the infirmary swung open, revealing a slight girl no older than fourteen years old. "Hello, there!" said the Doctor enthusiastically as the girl stopped where she stood. She stared at them for a long moment and then turned, breaking into a run.

"She doesn't seem pleased to see us," said Hermione. "Come on, Doctor. Let's get out of here before she sends somebody."

The room connected to a long dark hall lined with open cells. None of them were occupied, and with the exception of a few sparsely placed torches they were in complete darkness. "This way," said the Doctor as the hall forked. He pulled her toward the left, and they continued down another long tunnel until they reached a narrow staircase leading to an upper floor.

They came into a wide white room. The Doctor skidded to a stop and Hermione ran into him, arms wrapping around his waist reflexively. "Hold on," he said. There were several doors surrounding them, many on each wall. "Which way do we go?" she whispered.

"I have no idea…maybe…" The Doctor took a step forward and suddenly they all snapped shut.

"That answers that," said Hermione.

The Doctor moved to one of the doors, Sonic Screwdriver in hand. He attempted to open it but the effort failed—the gesture was repeated at each door, and failed at each. He ran a hand through his hair in agitation, turning to Hermione. "Can't you do something?" he said. "Wave your wand or something?"

"Azkaban is a magical prison. Trust me, they've already thought of that."

"Ah. Right. So we wait," he said.

Hermione shrugged, sitting down at the center of the room. It was at least a half hour before one of the doors finally opened and a tall, dark-haired woman entered, flanked on either side by men in dark robes.

"Confiscate their wands," she ordered.

"Not again," said Hermione in irritation as it was pulled from her hand and she and the Doctor were both thrust roughly to their feet.

"Please remain silent," said the woman. The Doctor and Hermione exchanged looks, as if to see if the other was going to do as she had ordered.

When the woman herself seemed convinced that both were going to do as she said, she took a step forward. "My name is Phoenix Potter, Prime Lady of the Wizengamot remaining on earth. I demand to know your names."

"Did you say Potter?" said Hermione with widened eyes.

"Answer me!" the woman demanded.

"She's Hermione Granger. I'm the Doctor," he said with a none-too-gentle nudge at Hermione's back.

"The Doctor? That is not your real name."

"No, it isn't. But it'll have to do," he replied.

Phoenix narrowed her eyes. "Come along," she said finally. "Weasley, return their weapons."

"What? But Phoenix…"

"That is an order."

Hermione took her wand back. "Weasley?" she whispered. "Potter? They can't be…"

"Oh, I think they just might," he said. Hermione and the Doctor locked eyes, and after a few moments he winked at her.

The corridor ended in with a wide cell barred on either side by enormous metal spikes. The inside of this cell was lined with books and a large desk sat at the center of the room. "Leave us," she said. After a moment's hesitation both of the men left the three of them alone. Phoenix watched them, and the moment they disappeared out of sight. She spun around, pointing at Hermione.

"I know who you are," she said. "The both of you…bloody hell!" She moved to the desk, slamming both hands down on it. "I can't believe this is really happening! To think that my family's stories were true…"

"Your family's stories?" said Hermione. "Then you are…you're descended from Harry Potter, aren't you?"

Phoenix smiled brilliantly. Her eyes were a bright and brilliant green. "The last descendant of Harry Potter," she confirmed. "And you're Hermione Granger. THE Hermione Granger. It is such an honor…"

She rushed forward, taking both of Hermione's hands in her own. "Of course, not many people believe you really existed," she said. "But now that you're here I know I wasn't mistaken. You're here…you're finally here."

"You act like you've been expecting me," she said with a little surprise.

"Of course I have," said Phoenix. "You're here to save us."

* * *

Hermione sat perched on the edge of Phoenix's desk, an open book splayed across her knees. The Doctor was standing at the door of the cell, pacing with an unreadable expression on his face. "This is all wrong," said Hermione with snort of disgust. "Look at this! It says, and I quote, that I was a consort of Harry Potter who mysteriously vanished after he chose the much younger Ginny Weasley for his love. Apparently, I single-handedly fought off a legion of Death Eater's while Harry fought Voldemort. I'm kind of a legend."

"Don't let it go to your head," he said with a smirk as she slammed the book closed.

"I'm not. In fact, I'm worried. That woman said that I was here to save them. I'd like to know what from.'

"Yeah," said the Doctor, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'd like to know that too. By the way, you could have mentioned you were something of a legend when you started traveling with me."

"I didn't really know I was going to become one," said Hermione. She hopped off of the desk and came around to the Doctor. "Anyway, I don't think that would have stopped you."

"It might have." The Doctor put his hand on his shoulder. "I try very hard not to interfere in important events…with important people. There are certain points in history that are fixed, and even I can't change them…"

"Perhaps you didn't. The book says I disappeared." Hermione closed her eyes, a tight smile on her face. "I never thought of it but…can I go home after this?"

"Of course you can."

"That's not what I meant. I know it's possible but…will I want to after this?"

The Doctor stared at her for a moment. Finally he turned away. "What I'd like to know is why we're floating in a poison sky. Just where has the young Miss Potter got to?"

"Right here." Phoenix came down the hallway. "Miss Granger, please come with me. I've prepared a show."

The Doctor and Hermione were led into an adjoining room. "Is that a telly?" said Hermione in surprise.

"It's a bit old, but we've managed to get it running on magical energy. Weasley, turn it on. Please," she added when she saw the irritated look the young man shot her way.

The boy was very tall and slim, wth a shaggy crop of bright red hair. "Reminds me of…someone I know," said Hermione, taking a deep breath.

The television flipped on. "It's just a recording," said Phoenix as the image turned to an older man sitting at a news desk. "There haven't been recordings from the surface in ages."

"Scientists have confirmed that the shuttles have been prepared and evacuations are scheduled to begin immediately. Citizens are urged to adhere to the guidelines set out by the Evacuation Council…"

The report continued on in the same vein. "You can shut that off," said Hermione finally, casting her eyes toward the window. "I think I understand. How long ago…I mean, when was that report made?"

There was a long silence. It was Weasley who finally spoke. "About five years ago," he said. "The earth has been empty for five years."

"The Great Evacuation of Earth," said the Doctor slowly. "A Great War raged on three continents, which could only be stopped by the release of a bomb…a poisonous bomb that spread over the surface of the earth, forcing every living thing to take refuge in the stars. For two-hundred years the earth remains empty, until the humans returned to rebuild. We are at the beginning of that two-hundred years…and you're still here."

"A castle in the sky," said Hermione. "You've charmed Azkaban to fly high into the earth's atmosphere to escape the radiation…why Azkaban, by the way? I have to ask."

"The Dementors. They've been absent from Azkaban for centuries now, but they left traces of their magic all over this place. They opened up a path through time and space…all we need to figure out is how to use it, and then we can escape."

"You mean there's a rift here," said the Doctor slowly.

"Call it what you like," said Phoenix. "We're going to use it. We're going to escape." She turned away from the two of them, moving toward a low window. "Look out there. Nothing but clouds…clouds and darkness. There are over a thousand witches and wizards in this prison. And it is a prison, no doubt about that."

"And why didn't you go with the…muggles, is that right? Why didn't you go with the muggles when they evactuated?"

"Don't you ever listen to anything I say?" said Hermione. "High concentrations of magical energy ruin muggle technology. That many witches and wizards get on a shuttle and it fails…everybody dies." She turned to Phoenix. "Take me to the rift," she said quietly.

"No! You don't know…"

"Take me to it," said Hermione, gazing over her shoulder at the Doctor. "Pkease." A moment passed and finally he nodded at her.

Hermione, when she had begun her training in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had taken a tour of the prison. She remembered the heart of the prison—where the Dementors were born, where they went to die. It was there now that they were taken, a large dark cylinder with a tall, narrow door to the center. Phoenix entered with the two of them close at hand.

Restraining a gasp, Hermione stared at the large hole at the center of the room. It looked like a black hole from muggle television shows. The Doctor stepped forward, reaching out with his arm as if to keep Hermione back. "You have no idea what you're dealing with," he said, slipping on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses.

"And I don't think you realize who you're dealing with," said Phoenix sternly. "I will do anything to keep these people safe. In all the worlds, all the places man has discovered we are all that we have…magic doesn't exist elsewhere."

"No. You're right about that," said the Doctor. "I didn't even know about you until I met her…and me not knowing something, that says a lot."

"Then you understand why I will do anything to get us away before…"

There was a sudden crash. Hermione pitched forward the Doctor grabbed at her. "Take cover!" Phoenix shrieked, There were several other witches and wizards standing guard outside the chamber. They all dove to the ground and waited for several minutes until the shaking stopped.

"What's going on?" said Herimone shakily as she got back to her feet.

"Azkaban is falling," said Phoenix. Please, Hermione…I know your name. Your face. I've seen it before, like something from a dream. Save us—you're the only hope we have."

* * *

"There's no way. Whatever these…Dementors…are, they aren't from this world. Hermione…tell me about them."

He was seated across from her just outside the rift. "They kept the prisoners here at Azkaban," she said. "They feed off of happiness…off of love. Off of every happy emotion that ever exists, or ever will in a person. When you're around a Dementor you feel nothing but despair."

"Despair…right, right," said the Doctor slowly. "Is there…any more."

"There's something called the Dementor's Kiss. The creatures sucks the soul out of a person…they don't die, but…"

"Wait a minute," said the Doctor. "I know this creatures…about three meters high, face obscured, kind of gray…I've got it!" he shouted, jumping up. "The Hexaphorons!"

"The Hexa-what?" said Hermione.

"An alien race…but that can't be!" said the Doctor, making a face. "If they'd been on earth that long I would have picked it up."

"Not if they were keeping to the magical world. Muggles can't see them…"

"They hid themselves…of course. They found the strongest humans on earth and they fed, until…"

"They didn't need us anymore. Is that what you're saying?" said Hermione.

"Maybe."

"So that rift really does lead to somewhere else in the universe?" said Hermione. "Then they could use it…they could escape?"

"Of course not. If they tried to go through there they'd all be dead."

Hermione felt as if something heavy had struck her in the chest. "But if they stay here they'll all be dead," she said quietly. "Doctor, we must…I mean, there has to be something…"

"I'm sure there is," he said. "We just have to find it."

"I might have a way." Weasley stood at the door of their cell. Hermione looked at him for the first time, realizing that he couldn't be any older than fifteen. He walked into the room, shoulders hunched as if he felt he shouldn't be there or was uncertain anybody wanted to hear what he had to say. It reminded Hermione uncomfortably of Ron. He cleared his throat, seeming to avoid looking at either of them as he spoke. "There's one final transport left on earth. One shuttle that went unused. If we could find a way…"

"Your magical energy would completely destroy it," said Hermione.

"That's what Phoenix said," said Weasley. "But what if there were some way to…to change the system? Or something."

"It's impossible." Phoenix came striding into the room. "That rift is our only hope. And you're going to get us through," she said, pointing at Hermione.

"But…listen, I want to save these people, I do, but the Doctor knows more than we do. That rift is dangerous."

Phoenix's closed her eyes. "If you won't help us," she said quietly, "Then you're of no use to me. Weasley—take them to Cell 297."

"But Phoenix…"

"Do it,' she said quietly.

"No." Weasley stood up straight, staring at her. "I'm tired of this. I need out of here. We all need out of here."

"No! I know what you want and I won't let you. W e can't, Weasley…"

"Oh my God," said Hermione, feeling suddenly as if she were going to be sick. "You want to give up your magic…don't you?"

"There has to be a way," said Weasley. He was staring at Phoenix, as if the argument was one they had gone over many times before.

"The rift is the answer. That is final," said Phoenix. "Now, do as I say. Lock these two up."

"I'm sorry," Weasley muttered under his breath as he took a hold of the both of them and pushed them through the door. When they were well out of sight of the both of them, the Doctor spun around.

"Right then. Now that that's over with why don't we have a little chat," he said. "You said there was a remaining shuttle. Where is it?"

Weasley smiled slowly. "Come on then," he said. "We're taking a detrour."

It was a small room, just small enough to have gone undetected by Phoenix. Weasley led the Doctor to a large map. ":Here," he said. "Just north of Suffolk. It never launched…there was no need."

"Right," said the Doctor slowly. "Now…would you mind telling me what exactly is holding this castle up?"

"Magic," said Weasley.

"Well, of course magic, I kind of figured that," said the Doctor. "But what kind of magic?"

"The kind that powers broomsticks," said Hermione slowly. She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes. "Outside, the silver spires. Broomsticks fly because they're sort of like reverse magnets…their magical energy repels them away from the earth. This castle is being repelled from the earth."

"But it's failing. Because the energy of the earth is failing," said Weasley. "All it would take is a final boost of power to reverse the power, to send us crashing directly toward the shuttle."

"Then we have to do it," said Hermione. "Remove your magic…send you to the shuttle. It's the only way."

* * *

"All right now, everybody line up. Be calm, we're going to be okay."

"No, no, NO!" shouted the Doctor. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I told Weasley to lock you up!" shouted Phoenix. "No matter. It's all going to be over soon. We're headed to our new home."

"You can't do that!" shouted Hermione. "Please, listen to him!"

"That is enough!" said Phoenix. "Either you are with us or against us," she said quietly.

"Then we're against you," said Hermione. She slowly withdrew her wand. "Please forgive me forthis Doctor," she said under her breath. In on swift moment she pointed her wand at the woman. "Expelliarmus!" she shouted. Phoenix's wand went flying from her hand and Hermione grabbed it."Come on! If you want to live, listen to the Doctor!" she shouted at the crowd that had gathered.

"She's right!" said Weasley loudly. "Trust her."

As if on cue every witch and wizard in the place began to whisper, and turned to face the three of them.

"We will go," said the young girl they had seen earlier. And it was repeated, like a chorus—"We will go. We will go."

"No!" shrieked Phoenix. Then, softer, an uttered, "Please."

"Come on," said Hermione. Together they trooped out of the castle. The ground began to shake but they just kept on moving.

"The only way to get you on that shuttle," said the Doctor, "is to remove the energy that's keeping it from working. I have a plan. We need to channel the power from the wavelength in their brain and into another conduit."

"What other conduit?" said Hermione.

The Doctor turned to stare at her. "The only compatible brain," he said, eyes gleaming.

The TARDIS was standing exactly where they had left it. "And why can't we just put everybody in your rubbish little box?" said Hermione.

"It's not rubbish! And that's not exactly how it works," he said. "Anyway, it would be a bit crowded, wouldn't it?"

"And why not?" said Hermione.

"Because it isn't!" said the Doctor. "Now, just hold on for a moment."

He disappeared into the TARDIS, returning a moment later with a large metallic object. "Now, Hermione, this shouldn't hurt," he said, then winced. "All right, maybe. Just a little. But not too bad." He guided her hands to the side of the object. All of a sudden Hermione felt like her head was filled with static. She saw, as if through a trance, the witches and wizards clutching each others hands.

Phoenix emerged, looking down the line of hands, and nodded slowly. She clutched Weasley's hand and, with the other, touched the metal. An intense blast of energy flooded through her mind. It seemed to last for hours, and then again for mere seconds. She fell backwards on the ground, gasping. The Doctor knelt over her.

"Hermione! Hermione, are you all right!"

"I'm…okay," she muttered. "I…oh my God," she whispered. "I can feel it all inside me. It's too much."

"It'll level out…over time," he said. "Come on, now. We have to get ready—every trace of magic in this castle has gone to you, including the magnets holding it up. Which means…"

There was a sudden low rumble and everything pitched. "We're going to fall," he finished. The ground pitched again and everybody began to rush toward the edge of the castle. "Hold on everyone! It's going to be a bumpy ride!" he called. He spun around. "Hermione, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to leave you for a little while. I'm going to use the TARDIS to guide Azkaban toward the shuttle. I need you to keep everybody safe…can you do that for me?"

"I…yes, I can," she said. Then suddenly the Doctor was grinning. "That a girl," he said. He ran into the TARDIS, and Hermione watched as it disappeared. The ground was now pitching wildly.

"Everybody, stay towards the center!" said Hermione. "I'm going to hold you in. I can keep you safe until you board the craft…hold on!" she called out as all of a sudden the ground began to hurtle through the sky. She felt an arm go around her and Phoenix was suddenly pulling her to safety.

"You really are the girl from the legends," she muttered. "Stubborn but…brilliant."

"Thank you. I think," said Hermione.

"You are. Brilliant, I mean," said Weasley, blushing.

"I can't believe I haven't asked, but…you are descended from him, aren't you? From Ron?"

The boy smiled. "Yeah. The houses of Potter and Weasley have been linked together since the days of legend."

"What's your name? I never asked," she said.

"Hugo. Hugo Weasley."

Hermione felt something like a shiver go down her spine. "I…I…" She shook her head. "Hold on, everybody, it's coming," she said. The ground pitched and the earth below was revealed to them. The air began to grow thin as Hermione used the overflowing magical energy in her body to create an enormous bubble that surrounded Azkaban. Everybody began to scream as they flew toward the ground, stopping at the last moment and gently slamming into the ground.

The TARDIS reappeared and the door flew open. "Right then! My friend here is going to release the shield. You have five minutes to board. Or, you know, let the radioactive atmosphere kill you." Hermione took a deep breath and released the force field.

The Doctor moved beside Hermione to watch as they trooped off the ground and up the ramp of the ship. "They're just ordinary humans now," he said. "I've set the ship to autopilot. They should be fine…"

"Doctor." Hermione felt herself growing faint. "That was the end, wasn't it? The end of my kind. They're all…gone. Right now, at this moment in time, I am the only witch in existence." A tear rolled down the side of her face. "I never imagined…I mean, it seemed…"

"Never say never, Hermione," said the Doctor. He put his arm around her shoulder. "Let me tell you a story. A story about my people…the Time Lords."

And with that he guided her back toward the TARDIS, and in the blink of an eye they were gone.


	4. Beyond the Veil, Pt 1

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Contrary to what I was hoping for I can't really post as often as I'd like thanks to a few computer malfunctions…which will soon be taken care of…I hope. Just so you know the 11th Doctor will eventually make an appearance...later. I think Matt Smith is excellent and we'll definitely be seeing him.

**Beyond the Veil, Pt. 1**

"Six days." The whirring of the TARDIS died down and the Doctor stared at Hermione expectantly for a long moment. "Well?"

"Sorry." Hermione exhaled slowly. "It's just a bit weird, that's all. It's really only been six days since I left?" she said.

"To the day."

Hermione was silent for a long moment. Finally she turned to the Doctor. "Right. Come on then, let's go." She strode to the TARDIS doors and swung them open, brilliant sunlight streaming through the open doors and into the ship. She started to take a step out and then saw that the Doctor wasn't following. "What is it?" she said, frowning.

"I'm afraid this is the end of the line, Hermione." He averted his gaze from her as she swung around.

"What?" she barked, moving back towards him.

"I only meant it to be a short trip. I just sort of got caught up in everything. The truth is I'm not looking for a companion right now. I've had too much…I'm about to…" He broke off, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Just trust me. Now is not a good time."

"So what?" Hermione crossed her arms across her chest. "You're breaking up with me or something?"

"What?" The Doctor said. "No…I mean, well yeah, but it's not like…"

"Well, I'll tell you one thing Doctor." Hermione took a step toward him, jabbing her forefinger into his chest. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. I'm not leaving this TARDIS until you promise me one more trip." With that said she sat down directly on the floor.

"You must be kidding me!" said the Doctor.

Hermione peered up at him, mischief gleaming in her eyes. "Come on then, Doctor. When are you ever going to have another witch at your disposal?"

The Doctor was silent for a little while. "That's true," he finally said. With a defeated and exaggerated sigh he pushed the TARDIS doors back open. "All right. One more trip."

"Bravo!" Hermione jumped up and kissed him on the cheek, taking his hand and pulling him after her. "Just in case," she muttered half-jokingly, half-warning, and her hand darted into the pocket of his greatcoat and emerged with the TARDIS key. She deposited in her own pocket, and without a second glance at the Doctor strode off in the direction of a shabby-looking house that stood at some distance from them.

"So where exactly are we?" said the Doctor, who was really only mildly annoyed.

"This," said Hermione with outstretched arms "is the Burrow."

"The Burrow? There's nothing remotely burrow-like about it. I suppose if there's tunnels underground or something…"

"Why don't you just shut up and enjoy the scenery?" Hermione suggested. Together they walked down the short hill that led to the towering house. From twenty paces Hermione was certain she could smell biscuits from the open windows of the kitchen. Without even stopping to knock she pulled open the door and strode inside. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley! Are you there?"

There was a loud scream. Hermione barely had time to prepare herself before a plump, older woman with silvering red hair came running from the kitchen and threw herself at her. "My girl! My sweet precious girl! What's been done to you? Where have you been?"

"Relax, Mrs. Weasley. I've only been gone six days," Hermione laughed.

"Six DAYS?" Mrs. Weasley took a step back, seeing the Doctor for the first time. "YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Her wand was out in a flash, pointed right at him. "What horrible things have you done? Torture no doubt…the cruciatus curse or something worse, and then you made her forget it all…"

"Stop it, Mrs. Weasley," said Hermione in astonishment. "What are you talking about?"

"Six days! You remember being gone six days and it's nearer to six months!"

The Doctor cursed. Hermione spun around him. "You messed up," she said.

"Well. These things happen…look, the TARDIS is old…and cranky. See, this is why it's best you stay home. You got lucky, one girl I traveled with lost an entire year."

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "I'll let it go this time," she said, then patted her pocket. "But you're not getting out of that trip you promised me."

While this exchange between the Doctor and Hermione had been going on Mrs. Weasley had been watching both with rapt disbelief. Now she interjected again, taking hold of Hermione. "You can't mean to go off with this…this heathen again!" she said.

"He's not a heathen," said Hermione. "He's actually quite nice. Bit rude, sometimes…"

"Hey!"

"But otherwise, not so bad. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to see Harry and Ginny. Do you know where there are?"

Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows shot up. "What about Ron?" she said pointedly.

"Oh, right. Well, I meant him too. Of course I meant him too," she said.

"Liar," the Doctor murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. She nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to glare at her.

"They're at the Ministry," said Mrs. Weasley. "Harry's been working day and night on his new case. Although I dare say you haven't heard about that."

"New case? What's going on?" said Hermione.

"Something wrong at the Ministry."

Hermione's heart fell. "We need to go right away," she said. "Doctor, take my arm. And hold tight." If ever there was a time the Doctor knew when to just close his mouth and do as somebody else said, this was it. Without a word he took her by the arm and in a flash the two of them were sucked into the void itself. He felt the universe fold in over him for just an instant before he was spat out again, this time in the middle of a very shiny lobby that was filled with all manners of men, women and several creatures that were most definitely alien in origin, at least to his trained eye.

"Hermione!" several people shouted out at once.

"We'll chat later!" she shouted, to nobody in particular, and took off at a run in the direction of the Auror offices. She burst in the front door and found herself faced with several stunned faces. There was a long pause, and then everybody burst into excited chatter. Finally a tall man with tousled black hair came around the corner, mug of steaming tea in hand. He paused when he saw her, and then grinned.

"Right then, Hermione. About time you came for a visit."

"You idiot!" Hermione said and with a laugh threw her arms around Harry. The other Aurors quickly returned to their own business as the Doctor began poking around, peering at scraps of paper that had been posted to the walls and various magical artifacts…no doubt trying to ascertain their origins, alien or otherwise.

They spoke in hushed whispers for a few long moment, Harry occasionally glancing off in the direction of the Doctor, sometimes with concern and other times with amusement. "Oi! You!" he said finally, gesturing him over. "So long as you're here why don't you give us a little help?"

The Doctor mimed his best 'who, me?' expression before coming over to join Hermione and Harry. "So, what's the problem?" he said.

Harry looked around for a moment, and then gestured for the Doctor and Hermione to follow. He led them into a cramped office and took a seat behind a large desk. "Your own office," said Hermione.

"I got a promotion after the crash at Hogwarts. After I got investigated for your disappearance," he added.

Hermione winced. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's all right. Ron wouldn't speak to me for a month. He still thinks I let some madman abduct you."

"And he's quite right about that," input the Doctor. He had suddenly become very interested in some sketches that were strewn out on Harry's desk. "Now what I'd like to know is where these came from?"

"So would I. They're witness sketches. Up until the incident at Hogwarts it was in the jurisdiction of Misuse of Magic. We assumed they were charmed suits of armor, except…well, except they look like that."

Hermione moved closer to the Doctor, leaning over his arm to glance at the drawings. "They look like…like metal men."

The Doctor froze. "That is impossible," he said. "More than impossible."

"What are they?" breathed Hermione.

The Doctor stared at the drawing for a long moment more. "Cybermen," he said finally.

***

Deep in the Department of Mysteries the Unspeakables keep all those things which the Ministry deems it important their people do not know. Hermione had only been inside those chambers twice before—once when she was a new recruit to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, to know that there was much more to the world around her that she could ever have dreamed of. The first time she had broken in, fought and almost died there.

It was still mesmerizingly strange to enter the Department for the third time, this time flanked by Harry, the Doctor, and a tall pale Unspeakable who might have been anywhere between a hundred and two-hundred years old. They were guided through one of the revolving doors and down a long tunnel, where the Unspeakable left them on one side of a two-way mirror.

"Oh my God," said Hermione. She leaned against the glass and stared at the thing that resided within.

"I wouldn't do that," said the Doctor quietly. Pulling her away. As if on cue the Cyberman jolted upright and turned to face the spot where Hermione had touched the glass.

"Human presence detected!" it called out.

"How…" Hermione started.

"Heat signature. Human temperature."

"Do you know what these things are?" said Hermione.

"Oh yes," said the Doctor. "We go way back." He continued to stare at the thing for a long moment as it seemed to go back into a state of stasis. "I don't understand," said Hermione after a long moment. "If it's like…a robot or something…all the magical energy in the Ministry should have already caused it to malfunction, right?"

"Yeah…makes you wonder, doesn't it?" he said. "There's something…not quite right about this." He turned on Harry. "There's more, aren't there?"

"Trapped in the tunnels below. We've got them secured but not subdued. The Aurors have been working with Misuse of Magic to figure out a way of disarming them. Nothing's worked, so far."

"Let's go have a look, then." The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and ran off deeper into the tunnels.

"He is mad," said Harry admiringly.

"Good for us we've always gotten on well with mad people," said Hermione. She took out her wand and ran after the Doctor alongside Harry. A great stone wall barred the very end of the long tunnel. There were five wizards standing watch alongside a window much like the other, except that the Cybermen on the other side of this wall were active, pounding metal fists on the glass. The Doctor pushed aside one of the wizards so he could move closer to the glass.

"Polymorphic plastics," he appraised with his sonic screwdriver. "Good one. They'll have a hard time breaking through that."

Hermione, however, wasn't listening to what he said. She was staring at the wizard the Doctor had pushed aside who was in turn staring back at her. "Hermione," Ron gasped.

"Ron, I…"

"So you're the bloke who took her away!" Ron grabbed the Doctor by the shoulder, spinning him around and planting his fist squarely in his jaw.

"You bloody git!" Hermione shouted, yanking Ron away.

"Oi!" said the Doctor, testing his jaw. "Jealous boyfriend, now that's…right. Well that one's not so new. You know, I have half a mind not to save your bleedin' planet now!"

"What're you defending him for?" said Ron in astonishment as Hermione wheeled around on him.

"Because he's not an immature brat like some men I know!" she said with her hands fisted at her waist.

"I'm actually quite immature for a man of nine-hundred years," said the Doctor. "Which is to say much more mature than any of you lot…what the heck am I going on about that for?" the Doctor wheeled back around. "Now where did you lot come from?"

"Hermione…"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," said Hermione nastily, sticking her nose in the air.

"You think you could end your lovers' spat and give me a hand?" said the Doctor. He had his hands inches from the glass and had leaned forward, peering not at the Cybermen but at the long tunnel behind them. "Anybody know what's down there?" he asked. When nobody answered he spun around. "Well?"

"Answer him," Hermione ordered. The wizards exchanged glances and finally the eldest, dressed in the robes of the Unspeakables, answered.

"The tunnels lead to the Veil. It was moved after…" His gaze shifted and moved to Harry. He coughed pointedly. "Well."

"The Veil? But…" Her eyes widened when she saw the look on Harry's face. "This can't be good," she said.

"It most definitely isn't," said the Doctor. He moved to the edge of the glass and pressed his sonic screwdriver against it. A small hole just large enough for a thin person to fit through opened up. The Doctor quickly slid through and, before he could protest Harry and Hermione followed. It took only a moment for the glass to close back up behind them.

The Cyberman paused, as if stunned to suddenly be in close proximity with an actual human. "The mechanism for upgrade has been destroyed! You will be deleted! DELETE! DELETE!"

"Come on!" The Doctor shouted. The three of them ran down the long corridor as half of the Cybermen left off their relentless attempt to destroy the wall and followed them, their metal boots echoing an eerie staccato against the chamber floor. "So what's this veil?" he said as they ran. "The two of you seem to know something about it."

Harry glanced to Hermione and she realized that, though it had happened long ago, Harry couldn't find the words to repeat the story. "Somebody fell through it and we lost him forever," she said quietly. "We don't know what it is. Just that…"

"You can hear voices on the other side," said Harry quietly.

They kept running until the corridor split off in two directions. They froze and the Doctor seemed to be listening for something. Finally he pointed to the left fork in the path. "That way!" he shouted.

It wasn't much longer before they reached the room. It was much smaller than the room that had housed it previously. With a quick enchantment Hermione slammed and locked the door behind them and they found themselves alone with the object.

It was precisely as Hermione remembered it. A tall stone arc from which dangled a tattered gray veil that fluttered gently in an invisible breeze. "Oh, no…" The Doctor suddenly seemed to forget the Cybermen and had directed all of his attention on the veil. "Just what have you lot got yourselves into?" he said.

"Do you know what it is?" said Hermione.

"A veil. But not just any veil…a veil separating our world from another. An empty, terrible place." He continued to stare at it with an expression that was torn between awe and horror. "We need to get away from here. Now…"

"Wait," said Hermione. She exchanged glances with Harry. "Do you mean to tell me…are there living things on the other side of that veil?"

The Doctor looked over at Hermione. "Oh, no. I know what you're thinking but that would cause a whole mess of trouble. We can't rescue your friend. If he's fallen through then he's gone, because nothing can come…nothing…"

His speech broke off because just at that moment the veil began to shimmer, the curtains to more rapidly flutter, and a clanging echo began to resound through the air, louder and louder until six Cybermen emerged from through the veil. Four marched off and two more suddenly began to sputter and immediately fell to the ground. Their metal bodies rusted over in a matter of seconds, and for the first time Hermione saw the bits and pieces of metal that littered the floor.

"Those two couldn't survive the magic," said Hermione.

"But in case you hadn't noticed those two did," said Harry. "We're trapped!"

"Not as trapped as you might think. Hermione, do you think I could borrow your wand?"

"What?" she said.

He stuck his hand in her face, gesturing impatiently until she finally placed it in his palm. "Keep them off, Harry." With a nod Harry stood before the two of them, sending whatever spell he could think of their way while the Doctor fiddled with Hermione's wand and his sonic screwdriver, occasionally pulling implements out of his pockets which he used to connect the two.

"Right! Going to see if this works. Allons-y!" he shouted, pointing the wand-screwdriver hybrid at them. Immediately a bolt of blue and sparkling gold light hit the first of the Cybermen and his circuitry seemed to overload.

"You got it!" shouted Harry as the Doctor made quick work of the others. "But how? Magic never worked before."

"That's because these particular Cybermen were powered by magic," said the Doctor grimly. "Do you want to know what your Ministry has been using that veil for?" he said, gesturing toward it.

"It's…just an experiment, right?" said Hermione.

"It's a bloody prison. No…worse. A form of execution. Quick and painless, or so your Ministry assumes. Except the person never dies…they just live on in whatever parallel world that is. Eternal suffering."

"It can't be," said Hermione.

"Oh, but it is. And what do you know?" the Doctor began to pace. "After our last encounter the Cybermen attempted to escape, but they got caught in the same void. Except they had resources your witch and wizard friends didn't…they had technology. And in the meantime they created an army…do you want to know what a Cyberman is, Hermione?" Without waiting for an answer the Doctor strode forward and tore the breastplate from the creature. She felt herself repelled from the sight.

"The important part of a human brain, as far as a Cyberman in concerned. They harvested the prisoners…"

"No!" Harry shouted. "You listen to me, Doctor…" He wheeled around. "I won't let you say that! I won't…I can't believe that…"

"They harvested the prisoners. Some of them were witches and wizards so the Cybermen they created were immune to the effects of magic. Until I changed the charge of it with my screwdriver."

"Oh God," said Hermione, tears streaming down her eyes. "Sirius…" She felt herself breaking down and then a very strange sensation came from her. Against her chest a white hot heat. She reached into her pocket and pulled away a glowing key…the TARDIS key. "Doctor…you have another key, right?" she said quietly.

"Of course," he said, distractedly.

"And you could trace a key…through time and space…because its part of the TARDIS, couldn't you?" she said.

"Hermione…Hermione, what are you…!"

Before she could be stopped Hermione ran for the veil. "Come and find me," she said defiantly and then, without another word, backed into the veil, where to the world around her she was immediately lost

_To be continued…_


	5. Beyond the Veil, Pt 2

**A Doc, a Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **Whoops! Sorry about the mix-up. I posted a bit late in the evening and, as a result, ended up reposting the previous chapter. Here's the proper one.**  
**

**Beyond the Veil, Pt. 2**

"Ugh." Hermione sat up, her palm pressed firmly to her forehead. She couldn't remember where she was for a moment, only the sensation that she had been drowning, unable to catch her breath. She started to stand but her head was swimming and she was forced to remain on her knees.

She realized suddenly that she was sitting on an entirely white platform firstly. Secondly there was the scent of oil and smoke that seemed to pervade the very air that she was breathing. And thirdly, and most importantly, she caught a glimpse of the golden key that was still glowing gently in the palm of her hand.

"What did I do?" said Hermione, the memory of what had just happened coming back to her. "What bloody stupid thing did I do?"

"That's usually the first thing we ask ourselves when we wind up here."

Hermione leapt up, automatically reaching for her wand and realizing only too late that she no longer had it. She fought the urge to groan for a second time and looked up to see the man who had spoken to her.

"Of course it's you," she breathed, half-laughing. Because standing before her was the very image of Sirius Black, in the same shabby suit that he had worn the night of the battle at Hogwarts. "Oh, blimey. I need a drink."

"You're too young to drink," said Sirius conversationally as he strode over to Hermione. "Or are you?" he murmured, a little more quietly now. "How long has it been, then, since I last saw you? And how did a clever girl like you get thrown into this nightmare?"

Hermione started to respond but her legs gave way. Sirius darted forward, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Gotcha," he muttered.

"Cyber…men," Hermione finally managed to get out, blinking her eyes several times as she looked up at the godfather of her best friend. "Where are they?"

"Closer to the edge of the world. You managed to fall pretty far in," said Sirius. "Right at my feet, as a matter of fact. Here I was thinking to myself…why, this hellhole may not be so bad what with this lovely young…" Sirius trailed off, coughing as if he'd forgotten himself. "What I mean to say was I never expected the beautiful young woman who fell from the sky to be the same little bookworm I spent my last real summer with."

"I…was thinking about you. Trying to find you and all that," said Hermione groggily. "Hold on…you can let go of me now," she said. Almost reluctantly Sirius let go of her and Hermione was standing on her own two feet again. She brushed off her clothes, even though there wasn't a speck of dirt in the immaculate white that they stood in. Now that she had her bearings Hermione was able to make out the structures that made up the rest of the world.

"So do you have any idea where we are?" said Sirius with a grin.

"Like a…pocket universe, of some kind," said Hermione. "The Doctor called it a void…a forgotten place."

"That sounds about right," said Sirius. He continued to look at her for a long moment, as if deeply moved. "I'm so sorry to see you here…and so glad. The bushy-haired little girl who saved my life…"

"You can really lay off the hair," said Hermione, for the most part good-naturedly. "And I'm saving your life a second time. Or, the Doctor is. Trust me on this one."

Sirius seemed about to say something else but suddenly froze, hand out to Hermione to keep her still. "They're coming," he hissed, and with a wild gesture he indicated for her to follow him down into a low-lying ravine. From their vantage point they could see the Cybermen emerge from some point in the distance, an entire army of them marching forward.

"There's so many of them," said Hermione. "How can there be so many?"

Sirius was quiet for a moment. "What do you know about them?" he asked finally.

"Pretty much everything." Hermione watched as the army marched, until the very last of their line disappeared from sight. "But how can there have been that many witches and wizards in here?" she said.

"A lot of time. There were thousands when I arrived…filling this space from edge to edge. Now I'm all that's left."

"Sirius…no," gasped Hermione. "Really?"

Sirius laughed, his familiar barking laugh. "Are you kidding? There are at least a hundred of us kicking around somewhere. Course we weren't expecting any newcomers…we've been trying to find a way to use the Cybermen and escape this place. Fancy that'd be hard for the Ministry to take, prisoners from the thirteenth century on showing up in…what year did you say it was?"

"Two-thousand and nine," Hermione offered.

"I have missed a bit," said Sirius. "Uhm…you know, I was actually the last arrival, so to speak, so I haven't heard anything about the war…Harry did…I mean, he wasn't…" He had suddenly grown grave, betraying the pain that had always been so evident on his face when Hermione had known him. She placed her hand gently on his arm.

"He defeated Voldemort, Sirius. The whole bloody thing is over, has been for years. We never…I mean, especially Harry but me too…we never forgot you."

"We won!" Sirius howled in excitement despite Hermione's urgent attempts to shush him for fear that the Cyber army would return. "And what about old Remus? Where'd that old dog end up?"

"I…he…he had a son," said Hermione finally, turning her face in the hopes that Sirius wouldn't see. "With Tonks. His name is Teddy…Harry's his godfather."

"Oh." Sirius had apparently caught the hidden subtext in what she'd said, and immediately the vulnerability returned. "I see. Now…" Clenching his hands tightly he sprang up, looking first one way and then the other. "Let's go find the others. You can give me the rest of the story once we're out of here. I've had enough of prisons, once and for all."

* * *

The Doctor stared in stunned silence at the spot where Hermione had just a moment before been standing. "No, she didn't," he said, running a hand through his tousled dark brown hair while, without even noticing it, Harry repeated the gesture on the other side of the room. "Of all the…why would she…is she _daft?_" he said.

"Can we go in after her?" said Harry.

"Yes, and we'd be stuck in eternal torment with her and the Cyberman. Sounds like a great plan," said the Doctor, gritting his teeth and shouting for a moment. "Clever, clever, clever little witch, she knew exactly what she was doing! Of course I won't leave her there…how could the good Doctor do a thing like that? Of course I'll go on into the TARDIS and risk certain death for her bushy-haired little hide…what is it with me and clever little girls. You!" he said shouting at Harry. "If we make it out of this alive remind me to never choose a clever companion ever again! No, that's a stupid idea," he said to himself.

"Doctor!" shouted Harry, snapping him out of his reverie. "What are we going to do?"

The Doctor knew exactly what he was going to do. The only problem he was having was working out the logistics of the thing. First, he had to train the TARDIS's systems to track a tiny little key not only through time but parallel dimensions. Second, he had to break through said dimensions and navigate his TARDIS to Hermione's precise location. Third, destroy the Cybermen that had taken up residence and fourth, get them all home safely.

Actually not at all that difficult really, all things considered, although the Doctor was more than a little annoyed with the rather-too-clever little witch.

"I need to get back to the Weasel-Den," said the Doctor.

"You mean the Burrow?"

"Whatever. Can you pop me out like Hermione did?"

"Not from this far in the Ministry," said Harry. "There are too many wards in place. We need to get back out."

"Then lead the way, Mr. Potter," said the Doctor, and stepping over the smoldering remains of the Cybermen the Doctor followed Harry back into the darkened hall. He extending his screwdriver-wand hybrid and in one solid blow destroyed the Cybermen that were attempting to break through the wall, taking out most of the barrier with it.

Ron and the others stared back at them in shock. "Hey, where's Hermione!" he shouted as Harry and the Doctor rushed past.

"I'll explain later!" said Harry, but Ron refused to take no for an answer and was soon rushing along with them.

As they reached the main hall Harry grabbed the Doctor by the arm and without any warning they were tumbling through space. The Doctor fell face-forward on the ground, thinking for a moment that he tasted grass. "Hermione was a bit better than that," he said as pulled himself back up.

"Well, Hermione is brilliant," said Harry. "Except for when she's being a complete and total idiot."

"I'm going to get her back, don't worry about that," said the Doctor. He could sense the intense worry in Harry's expression. "And once I do you can spend the rest of her life reminding her not to be so thick." He put his hands in the air and snapped his fingers. With that the door to the TARDIS swung open and he resolutely strode forward.

"Wait! I'm coming with you," said Harry.

The Doctor thought for a moment that he should probably protest, the situation too dire, but he also knew that locked inside this seemingly normal bloke was a man who managed to save the world. Ordinary people, the Doctor thought…why did it always come down to them? His gaze flitted to the scar for just a moment and he finally nodded.

He watched Harry as he followed him into the TARDIS. Harry looked around with a small sense of wonder, staring up at the ceiling and down into the metallic basement chambers. "It's not bad," he said finally. "Could use a bit of work, but not bad."

"What is it with you magical lot?" said the Doctor. "Can't you just muster up a little bit of wonderment for the old girl? It is a time machine you know."

Harry whistled as if impressed and the Doctor shared a glimpse with him—a momentary exchange of camaraderie. All the while that they had been speaking the Doctor had been fiddling with the controls, implementing the use of a small mallet every so often as the TARDIS churned to life.

"Allons-y!" he shouted. Just as they were about to take off the door flew open and Ron darted inside.

"I got you, you bloody murderer!" Ron shouted, wand out and at the ready.

"Oh, come off it," said the Doctor, just a small part of his mind trying to work out how a girl like Hermione fell for a git like the ginger weasel.

"Expelliarmus!" shouted Harry, and Ron's wand flew up into the air and landed neatly in his hand. "Guess we have another passenger Doctor!" said Harry.

"Great, wonderful," the Doctor muttered under his breath. "We'll have a Captain's dinner at eight with shuffleboard on the deck at twelve."

"What the hell is going on!" said Ron, voice squeaking a little bit.

"We're going to save Hermione and destroy the Cybermen!" shouted Harry. "Come on, we can trust this guy. He's saved our life once already."

The Doctor looked past the console and grinned at the contemptuous glance Ron shot his way.

"Harry, come over here!" he shouted finally. "This is going to be a sticky landing. I need you to follow my instructions to get the TARDIS stabilized." He marveled at the efficiency of the young man as Harry quickly did what he told him to, and the shaking and the rolling of the TARDIS died down a little with both of them at the commands.

"What about Ron? What can he do?" asked Harry. The Doctor glanced over at him, wincing.

"He can…stay right there, next to the hat rack," he said. "And…not touch anything. That works for me."

Working together, Harry and the Doctor slowed the TARDIS until the familiar, rhythmic whirring of their landing filled the air. The Doctor gestured for Harry and Ron to fall behind and slowly pulled open the door, peering outside it into a white emptiness.

"Is this it?" said Harry as he followed. Suddenly his eyes widened. "I've been here before," he muttered.

"You what?" said the Doctor in astonishment.

"Not really…only sort of. When I died," said Harry.

"Ah. Well that really helps explain things," said the Doctor. Ron was the last to exit the TARDIS, his face ghost-white beneath freckles and shocking red hair.

"Oh God…oh my God," said Ron and, leaning over, threw up.

"I'll thank you to keep your sick away from the TARDIS," said the Doctor in indignation. "Come on. Hermione went this way," he said.

"How do you know?" asked Harry.

"Because the Cybermen went that way. And however stupid that girl has been today, she isn't _that _stupid."

* * *

It looked as much like a camp as anything could in the void they had entered. About a hundred witches and wizards were gathered around if for no other reason than each other's company. Some looked as if they were attired for the thirteenth century, and others wore Victorian-styled robes with high collars.

"Sirius! You return." A tall man in long black robes stood. His beard was a silvered black, his eyes small dark beetles beneath creased lids.

"Of course, and look what I found," he said. "Hermione Granger!"

"Hermione?" one woman guessed. "The one from your stories? From your…life?"

"The one and only," said Hermione distractedly. She took the seat the black-bearded man offered her and Sirius took one beside her.

"She's one of your heroes," said the woman. "Then she must be hear to help us fight the metal monsters! Have you a wand, dear?"

"No, I'm afraid," said Hermione, beginning to feel uneasy with the attention that these people were giving her. The disappointment on their faces was visible but she managed not to let on that she had seen this. "I have somebody coming. Somebody who can defeat them. And he can take you home…"

"Home?" the man blinked his eyes. "But this is our home."

"What?" said Hermione in surprise.

"This was a peaceful place," said the woman, face tense. "All I ever asked for was a peaceful death. I want those metal monsters gone for good."

"I'm the only heretic," said Sirius under his breath, so that only she and the others around them could hear. "The only one that really believes I'm not dead and there's a way out of this place."

"Oh," Hermione breathed. "I…well, then," she said. "But you're not right?" she added, keeping her voice low. "I didn't come all this way to save you for you to be dead."

"You bet," said Sirius. "Now, my dear, I'm going to go scouting." He took her by the hand and kissed it. "And thank you, again, for saving my life."

In a flash he transformed into a large, shaggy black dog, and quickly padded back through the whiteness.

The dog was a spot in the darkness when the Doctor saw it. "Is that…what?" he said in shock.

But it was Harry who reacted. "Oh…Sirius," he said. Then, forgetting everything else that had happened that day, he was shouting. "Sirius! SIRIUS!" He ran forward and right before the Doctor's eyes the dog was up on his hind feet and he'd become a man, a man who was laughing and crying as Harry laughed and cried and the pair threw themselves into one another's arms.

"Bloody hell! It can't be," said Ron.

"Well, obviously it can," muttered the Doctor. He broke into a run and met the both of them.

"Hello! I'm the Doctor. Have you seen my companion around here?"

"AH! Hermione told me about you," said Sirius, shaking his hand vigorously. "She's just back this way. Let's just…"

And suddenly there was a loud rumble. The sort of loud rumble that always made the Doctor realize that something that might have been a simple rescue had just gotten infinitely more complicated. They ran, as quickly as they could, but by the time they reached the camp everybody was gone.

"The metal men! They came, Sirius, they took everybody."

"The final invasion. They're getting ready for their attack," said the Doctor. "Quick! Which way?"

The man gestured off further into the whiteness. Without another word the Doctor, with Sirius, Harry and Ron in tow took off in the direction that he'd pointed. "What are we going to do?" said Harry.

"I haven't figured that out yet," said the Doctor.

"So you don't have a plan?"

"Not a clue. And," he added, exchanging a sidelong gaze with Sirius, "If I were a Cyberman I'd be shaking in my tin boots right about now."

* * *

The camp was at the edge of reality and the void, and inside a ship that once flew through the stars a base of operations for the upgrading process had begun. As far as the Cybermen were concerned the procedure was one of mercy…why quibble with race, religion, appearance, language or anything like that when all could be the same?

What they hadn't counted on was the fact that mankind had a few more tricks up its sleeve than they at first knew of.

The magical humans had been a curse at first and, later, a blessing in disguise when they found the entrance in the rift that led to a magical institute. Of course the Cybermen didn't consider it magic…they were humans imbued with Positronic Function…but in the end it all came out to one thing—a form of Cyberman that with the right power could survive almost anything. Even the Daleks would have had to admit the Cybermen were approaching Superiority…this was, of course, according to the logic files of the Commander. More than likely they were somewhat damaged.

Hermione now sat in a room in the base, standing in a long line paralyzed by the magical force field that the surrounding Cybermen were giving off. Occasionally one of the man-machines would sputter and die—these, she began to realize, were being affected by the magical energies being given off by the Cybermen created from witches and wizards.

It made her sick and, Hermione was loath to admit it, she was now the most afraid for her own life that she had ever been. She willed herself to move but couldn't, and so was forced to watch as men entered the chamber and the Cybermen emerged, over and over again, as she slowly moved towards the front.

"What am I going to do?" she finally moaned silently, a single tear coursing down her face.

"Shh!" She felt something surround her, like a glowing light, and suddenly she could move again. She started to spin around, then realized that the other Cybermen would realize she were free if she made any false moves. "You're free, Hermione." The Doctor's familiar voice came over her like a warm blanket. "Now do as I say," he ordered.

Hermione nodded, imperceptibly. Instructions were whispered in her ear from some point in the distance she could not see. She stood in place as she heard the pad of paws coming up from behind. Her heart beat faster.

"Unauthorized movement!" a Cyberman shouted then shortly followed with, "All human life forms paralyzed. Movement of inhuman origin."

Sirius as Padfoot moved up beside her. She reached out the hand that was hidden from the Cybermen and felt her wand returned to her. This immediately made her feel just the littlest bit better. In the reflection of the metal chamber moving ever closer to her she saw their reflections, the muddled reflections of her rescuers. _Is that Ron?_ She thought with shock and, surprisingly, a little annoyance.

The time came for her to enter the chamber. Hermione took a deep breath and stepped inside. With a hiss the doors closed behind her. A large series of arms and needles began to whir and move toward her as another attempted to push her down onto a table.

"Oh no you don't. Lumos Ultima!" she shouted. A brilliant light, brighter than the sun, erupted from her wand. "Put everything you have into it!" she heard the Doctor say. "All the energy that you can manage. Come on!"

And with that the light became too blinding for even her to bear. She closed her eyes, and in the distance she heard crack and hiss of the whirring objects beginning to self-destruct. A moment later and she released the spell. The floor was littered with what was left of the chamber and, without even having to try to do it, Hermione pushed open the doors that led back outside.

Between Harry, Ron and Sirius (and with more than a little help from the Doctor) enough spells had filled the room to cause every mechanical entity to self destruct. "What did you do?" she gasped. "I thought magic couldn't do anything to them!"

"Reversed the polarity of your wand, and theirs too," said the Doctor, grinning as if quite pleased with himself. "Right now you are using anti-magic. Don't worry, I'll fix it right as rain before I take you home."

"Take me…what?" Hermione stammered. "Doctor!"

"No time! We've got a Cyber Vessel to destroy!" he said. "Would you do the honors?" he said, turning to Sirius. "I think you deserve it."

With Harry and Ron working with her Hermione cleared the ship of the remaining people, little more than fifty of what remained. At the heart of the ship, Sirius charged a single ion of the power cell at the center of the ship with antimagic. Soon an explosion would tear through the void, destroying anything magical within.

"Come on! There's room for you!" said Hermione to the group of people. "We haven't much time!"

A woman, slight of build, stepped forward. "If you don't mind, we'll stay," she said with finality. "This is our home."

"But…but you'll…" Hermione stammered.

"Come on," said the Doctor. "They've been dead for a long time now. If not in body then in mind. It's their choice."

"But not mine!" said Sirius, racing from the ship after them. "Lead on, Doctor!" he barked, and as the group ran he transformed once again into the black dog. The TARDIS was a spot of blue against the horizon. Hermione had never been so happy to see it, and laughed raucously as she made her way inside.

"And now for the hard part!" said the Doctor. "Hermione, take those controls, there…Harry, you man that switch…Sirius, let me show you what to do," said the Doctor, quickly demonstrating several valves for Sirius.

"What about me?" said Ron.

"Uh…I think you'll be fine by the hatrack," said the Doctor.

They heard the blast in the distance. The TARDIS rocked but protected them from the explosion and suddenly with a loud whirring they were off.

The TARDIS rematerialized inside a small two-bedroom flat in London, just outside a place known as Diagon Alley. A small, redheaded girl was sitting on the sofa, arms around her knees when she heard the sound that made her turn suddenly to see a large blue box appear. The door opened.

Hermione stumbled out. Ginny shrieked and threw her arms around her friend. Harry and Ron followed, with the Doctor at his heels.

"And that's how the princess got the banana!" he was laughing, and a barking laugh echoed from beyond the doors of the blue box. Ginny's eyes widened.

"It can't be," she said. Harry grinned. "You remember Sirius, right?" he said.

Sirius Black stepped out of the doors of the blue box, eyes blinking as he caught sight of the chaotic scene. They flashed to Ginny and he smiled broadly. "You didn't do too badly, Harry!" he said. "Although I was always certain you'd end up with the bookworm there."

It was the first time that Sirius had walked the earth in five years. And it was the first time in over twenty he had walked it as a free man. The irony lay in the fact that even Sirius didn't realize just how much had changed since he'd been gone. But Harry would make certain he knew. Harry would make certain that the rest of Sirius' life was happy…and free.

Hermione could do nothing more than watch for several moments. It was like a small bit of the damage that had been done by the war had been undone. Sirius sat on the sofa, grinning madly, while the others gathered around as if afraid to look away or he'd disappear. Except for Ron.

"I almost lost you," he said quietly, reaching out for her. Unconsciously, Hermione pulled away.

"It was just another adventure," she said. "With an amazing ending," she added.

"Is that what you see this as?" said Ron. "Just…just fun or something? I didn't know where you were…I'm your boyfriend! I…"

"It was a little mistake. I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen next time…if there is one," she added.

Ron's face turned bright red. "You can't be thinking of going off again! Hermione, I…I forbid it!"

"You what?" said Hermione, reeling back from him. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"You're mine!" said Ron. "You belong with me! I won't let some bloody idiot in a blue box…"

"Shut up, Ron," said Hermione firmly. "Just…shut up. I can't do this right now. I'm not even sure I can do this, ever," she said quietly. Ron stared at her for a long moment. "Go on and join the party," she said finally. "I'll see you around."

Not too long after, Hermione pulled open the doors to the TARDIS. "What did you mean, about me coming home?" she asked.

"I just thought…I wouldn't want you hurt, Hermione. I've seen it far too often lately."

"Then would you like this back?" She pulled the key from the inside of her coat. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Oh, Hermione." The Doctor seemed to struggle for a moment and finally took her in his arms. "You're brilliant, and fascinating, and never a burden." They were silent for a long moment and finally he moved to the doors, closing them securely before moving back to the TARDIS console.

"Now where to? We've done one impossible thing today…how many more do you think we can fit in?"

Hermione grinned. "As many," she said, "as there are stars in the sky."


	6. Cat and Mouse

**A Doc, a Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **I got a new computer! XD This means more writing...well, technically, it means that uploading is going to be going a bit more quickly. However, I'm also about to enter the summer months so my job at Six Flags is going to make things crazy for me, very soon. Ah, well.

**Cat and Mouse**

"So where to now?" said Hermione. She had just left her flat in London and was now firmly secured inside the TARDIS which, as far as she could tell, was speeding through time and space in an unknown direction.

"Just one moment." The Doctor shifted a couple of panels and Hermione could feel the slight sensation that meant the TARDIS had stopped. "I wanted to have a little chat with you before we go off. And I just wanted to make one thing perfectly clear, Miss Granger. You are NEVER to do what you did today. What if I hadn't been able to save you?"

"But you were," said Hermione. She turned away from him with an injured sniff.

"But I might not have been able. And Hermione…that would have killed me."

Hermione closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and counting to ten before she released it. "I'm sorry Doctor but you're…what, over nine-hundred?" she said. "What's important about me? You've seen death before."

"Never if I can help it," said the Doctor. "And trust me…you're important. You're what makes me human." He put his hand on her arm and spun her around so that they were standing face to face. Hermione stared into his eyes, wondering why it seemed that he was searching for something inside of her. And then, realizing that she was doing exactly the same with him, she shifted her gaze.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again," she said. "So where are we going Doctor? Please tell me?"

The Doctor remained pensive for a moment longer and then it was over. A manic grin took over and he gestured wildly to nowhere in particular. "A little place I thought you might like. Just came from there not long ago myself. Had a bit of a mishap, guess you could say, but we're arriving a few hundred years before then so I thought it'd be a treat."

"Ah. And what place is that?" said Hermione.

"The Library."

"You're taking me to a library?" said Hermione, smirking. "Now I love books and all, Doctor, but a library…"

"Not just a library, Hermione. THE Library. An entire planet containing every book ever written. The works of Philosophers you never knew existed. The sonnets of Bengassi, the political parodies of the Rast…"

"The lost plays of Shakespeare?" Hermione suggested when it seemed the Doctor was struggling for new examples.

"Hah. Not that," he said, staring at her for a moment as if debating whether or not to tell her something. All of a sudden he yelped and jumped. "What was that?" he said sharply. All of a sudden Hermione squealed and he had out his Sonic Screwdriver. Hermione dove to the floor and when she came up her arms were full of squirming cat.

"Naughty Crookshanks!" she said. The cat mewed miserably as it squirmed to break free of her grasp. After a moment she released it and it leapt delicately up to the control panel of the TARDIS. He stared up at them with his flattened face, thick ginger fur streaked with silver in his old age.

"Why is there a cat in my TARDIS?" said the Doctor, voice bordering on outrage.

"He must have snuck in while I was arguing with Ron," said Hermione. "I'm sorry. I guess we'll have to turn around."

"Oh, yes Doctor, let's turn her around," mumbled the Doctor as he began to recalibrate the TARDIS console for their return to earth. "It's only millions of light-years and thousands of years away, why don't we just pop back? I forgot my toothbrush." He swung a large lever, nearly missing Crookshanks' tail. "And get that blasted thing off the controls!" he said.

"Crookshanks is not a 'thing'," said Hermione, but she picked Crookshanks up and began to titter at him in what she assumed was her most soothing tone. The Doctor rolled his eyes and all of a sudden the TARDIS rocked beneath him. Hermione cried out, and in her arms Crookshanks began to struggle to break free. Hermione yelped when she felt claws dig into her arm, and the cat leapt back onto the control panel, this time hitting several buttons as he landed. The TARDIS rocked again, knocking both Hermione and the Doctor to the floor. The lights flickered and when they came to the ship had landed.

Crookshanks remained sitting on the control panel, calmly licking himself. "Cats," said the Doctor. "Nothing good ever happens when you've got cats involved."

"What happened? Did we land back on earth or what?" she said.

"Or what." The Doctor slowly got to his feet, extending his hand to help Hermione to hers. "You're bleeding," he said, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to wrap around the three deep gashes on her forearm. Hermione winced, and using her other hand dug in her pocket until she located the packet of vials she had prepared for herself so many weeks ago. She located a salve that was a deep forest green and, digging out a large dollop, applied it to the gashes. The pain instantly began to disappear and Hermione sighed. When she caught the Doctor's expression, she shrugged.

"Third year Potions," she said in response to the Doctor's unasked question.

Peering into the TARDIS console's screens and panels for several minutes, the Doctor finally seemed to find what he was looking for. He took a step back. "Now that's odd," he said.

"What's odd?" said Hermione.

"I've stopped here a few times. But I'm early this time, from the looks of it," he said. His brows furrowed and his gaze shifted to Crookshanks. "This can't mean…but…oh, you can't be serious," he said. Hermione debated the possibility of pressing for a better answer than the Doctor had already given but, realizing how fruitless this would be, decided against it.

Instead she asked, "Then what are we going to do? Go back home or…investigate a little first?"

"Well, duh," said the Doctor, and grabbing his coat from the rack he swung toward the door. "Allons-y!" he said as he pulled it opened and stepped out into the new world.

Hermione followed, unable to help but gasp when she stepped out of the blue box and onto the ground of a foreign planet. Forward or back in time, Hermione had until now never set foot on any earth beside her own. She wasn't even certain what the parallel world counted as, if it counted as anything at all, but beyond any doubt this was something new.

They stood in a large enclosure that was lined on every side with tall trees of varying shapes and sizes. She scented rose and honeysuckle, as well as several things she had never seen or heard of in her life. Through the middle of the enclosure there were rows and rows of scrubby little plants in miniature pots. Hermione picked one up, sniffing at it delicately. "It smells a little like rosemary," she said thoughtfully. "But…it's strange…is that gardenia?"

"These plants were reduced to their most basic form before departure from earth," said the Doctor, taking the plant from Hermione. "Devolved, like the house elves. They had to last a voyage of a thousand years, give or take." He put the plant back and began to stride down the rows.

"What do you mean earth?" said Hermione.

"Oh, you remember the refugees don't you?" said the Doctor. "Well, like I said. A handful returned to earth once the fires and the radiation died down. But a lot more found homes among the stars…and eventually settled them. Where we are standing, Hermione, is the place that will eventually be known as New Earth. And this precise spot will be the future site of New New York."

"New New York?" Hermione said. She glanced back outside. "I've never even been to the original one," she said thoughtfully.

"Huh. I should take you sometime," said the Doctor. "Now when, that's the real question. Maybe the 1960s…ooh, you'd like that. Protests and rallies and things. "

One of the sides of the structure was made of glass, and it was this side of the enclosure that they now approached. Hermione approached the window, staring in awe at the world outside.

It was not spectacular. The ground was ashy and barren, covered in bluish moss that very nearly resembled the devolved greenery around them. In the distance Hermione could see a grayish tide lapping at a shore that was almost the same color. The only thing visible, apart from the earth, was a three-story metallic structure that rose up some distance away. However, Hermione couldn't help but breath, "It's beautiful," she the Doctor approached her. "Not the world itself, I mean…oh, I don't know how to describe it."

"You mean the possibility of it," said the Doctor. "And yes, it is. And it will be, for many years to come. That is, if the workers get a chance to finish what they're doing."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

"Well, you're clever. What's strange about this scene? An enormous laboratory in broad daylight, totally empty…"

The light turned on for Hermione and she turned to the Doctor with a gasp. "The scientists should be here, working to get the plant life ready for planting. Especially as it's…" she placed her hand on the glass. "It's winter. It is, isn't it? Feel how cool that is."

"Right you are, Hermione. Spring is coming and the workers have abandoned their project. Why would they go and do a thing like that?" he said, mostly to himself as Hermione had wandered away.

"There's something back here, Doctor," said Hermione.

The Doctor froze, whipping around. "Hermione, don't…" he began to warn, but it was too late. She leaned down to check under a long bench and emitted a loud, shrill shriek that echoed through the room. She jumped back and sped into the doctor's arms as a mass of slick gray fur unfolded itself from under the table. The thing was waist high, with saliva dripping from sharp rows of teeth.

"It's a rat, a rat, a bloody rat!" she shouted, disgusted.

"I can see that," said the Doctor. He roughly pushed her behind him, pointing his screwdriver at the creature. It began to rush toward them and he switched on the beam. Suddenly it slowed, and in a long rounded arm swerved away from the both of them, bearing around until it seemed to be on the edge of some impenetrable field.

"High frequency," said the Doctor by way of explanation. "But it's only going to buy us time," he said. "We need to get back to the TARDIS."

"Right. Then let's move. Slowly," she said. Together they began to sidle along the wall back to where the blue box had landed. The rat was hissing and gnashing his teeth at them, eyes glinting a near-demonic red. Hermione felt her stomach turn to look at it.

"Me and my friends were betrayed by a rat once," said Hermione sickly. "Well…technically a man disguised as a rat," she said, wincing. "Not a pleasant memory."

"I don't think any memories involving rats are pleasant, Hermione," said the Doctor. "Right. We're getting close enough now. In 3…2…1…RUN!" He switched off the screwdriver and together they dashed the final distance to the box. Hermione yanked open the door and screamed as something ginger streaked out from the crack in the door. She slammed the door closed and turned in time to see the rats take off after it back in the direction of the front of the chamber.

"Doctor, we've got to save him!" she said, panicked.

"He's a cat!" said the Doctor.

"He's my cat!" said Hermione. "And we're bloody well going to save him!" she snapped.

With that there could be no argument. Hermione and the Doctor took off back after the creature. On the way they heard a horrifying series of sounds. First a loud crash and an electric buzzing that vibrated through the air. Then there was a loud series of wails and shrill squeals, accompanied with the sounds of tables being thrown in the air. When they reached the scene of the incident a large chamber of glass was still resonating with a neon light. Meanwhile, the offending rat was laying prone on the floor, eyes no longer shining. It had been more than killed—it had been destroyed. "What did this?" Hermione gasped, trying very hard not to be sick.

"I did. I'm sorry if the sight offends you," came a voice with a lilting accent. Hermione glanced over. A ginger-haired man was ducking behind one of the work tables.

"Who are you?" asked the Doctor.

"Excuse me. The beam seems to have changed me," said the man, and finishing with the buttons on his jumpsuit he turned to face them. By this time Hermione had ceased being shocked. She simply stared at the creature for several minutes. His face was covered with the same ginger fur that covered the back of his head, and several tufts of gray sprouted out along his cheeks and chin. His nose was flattened, a quality that the rest of his face seemed to share, but all in all he was not unhandsome for an older man. Hermione looked into his eyes, which flashed a brilliant green, and felt a chill.

"Crookshanks," she said, without even bothering to ask. The cat-man inclined his head and Hermione, ignoring the dead rat nearby, sat down directly on the floor, cradling her head. "This is too much," she began to murmur; "my cat is a human now. What's going on Doctor?" she said, glaring up at him as he came to retrieve her.

"The Evo-Beam being used to evolve the plants," said the Doctor. "How else do you think those stinking rats got so bloody big? They got caught in the beam just like our good friend here. Good kitty," he said cheekily, aiming the last comment in Crookshank's direction.

"But he's…part human," said Hermione.

In response the Doctor took hold of Hermione's arm, pulling away the handkerchief he had placed their earlier to reveal three deep pink scars that had formed. "He must have had a bit of your blood on his claws when he entered the chamber. That's why he's not a tiger, a lion or a…a…cougar or something," he said.

"Wait. You mean he's got a bit of my DNA in him?" said Hermione.

"Ah. Yes," said the Doctor.

"Excuse me," said Crookshanks. "But we ought to move. I can smell more rats around."

"Now you tell me something," she mumbled to the Doctor. "Why does my cat have an Irish accent?" He shrugged in response, and taking their cue from the cat-man they moved back through the laboratory and toward a large sliding door that opened in the direction of the compound nearby. "And couldn't we have taken the TARDIS?" Hermione said, shifting her gaze to him.

"And miss all the running?" said the Doctor, frowning. "Nah!" He leaned down and, unlocking the door, yanked it up and over. The three of them slipped through, Crookshanks pausing a moment to sniff at the air.

"They're near. We need to go." They broke into a half-run down the side of the ridge. At one point Crookshanks excused himself and in a few moments they heard more squeals and scratches, and when he returned his jumpsuit was ripped and he was covered in blood. "Not my own, mostly," he said, noticing Hermione's concerned gaze.

After a few more moments, and the constant threat of snuffling, red-eyed rats just at the edge of the darkness, they reached the compound. The Doctor began to reach for his screwdriver but Hermione had her wand out first and, pointing it at the locked front door, whispered "Alohomora!" There was an audible click and the door swung open. The three of them slipped inside and the Doctor secured it while Hermione went to examine the cat. Taking the vial of green liquid back out, Hermione dabbed it at the scratches on his hands and chest, noticing after several moments a strange rumbling sound. "You're purring," she said in surprise.

"Excuse me. Old habits," he said.

"It's all right. I think it's sweet." She looked up at him. "You really are Crookshanks, aren't you? What do you remember…about being a cat, I mean."

"I remember everything," he said, coughing delicately. Hermione turned her face from him, suddenly aware that she was blushing a bright red. The Doctor turned his attention back to them, frowning.

"Something wrong?" he said, putting a hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Nothing," she said, a little too quickly.

Crookshanks's eyes widened. "Ah. I see," he said, clearing his throat. "Ah…I assure you that anything you shared with me while I was of _lesser _intelligence shall remain a secret with me," he said. "As for the rest, human nudity meant nothing to me, though in my present state I feel compelled to be more modest…"

"That's enough!" said Hermione. The Doctor was laughing and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "I'll curse one of your hearts if you don't shut up," she said in agitation.

At that he straightened, and turned to look at the metal stairway that led to the second floor of the building. "We ought to go ahead and find whoever is in charge," he said.

They went up the stairs, Crookshanks continually sniffing at the air. Presently they heard a soft pattering. Hermione glanced down and cried out softly, darting down to pick up the delicate little Siamese that had appeared. "You pretty little thing! Where did you come from?" she asked.

"Bonnie? Bonnie!" A young girl came darting out of one of the hallways and grabbed the cat from her. "What are you doing, girl? Those nasty Scrunts will gobble you right up!" The girl glanced at Hermione, as if noticing her for the first time.

"What're you doing with my cat?" she said suspiciously.

"She just came out to visit us. She's very pretty," said Hermione, reaching out to scratch a sable ear. The Siamese's eyes slanted close and she began to purr. "How did you end up with cats on a spaceship?" she asked. When the girl continued to stare at her strangely, Hermione added, "We're visitors."

"We picked 'em up from one of the Terraformed satellites. I think it was a Scottish ship. The grown-ups got them to eat all the rats in cargo. Then they got warped into Scrunts…big and nasty." The girl bared her teeth to emphasize that point. "S'now the cats are just pets."

Hermione exchanged a look with the Doctor. He'd been right about what happened…not that she'd had any doubts. She was about to say something else when the girl suddenly looked up at Crookshanks, who smiled, baring his sharp teeth. The girl screamed and dropped the Siamese, running back down the hall from which she'd come. Hermione cursed and started to run, but the Doctor took her by the arm.

"Just follow my lead," he said, sneaking his hand into his pocket to pull out what looked to be a small leather wallet. Within moments three men with large black guns had appeared, pointing them straight at the group. The Doctor raised one hand, reaching out with the wallet with the other. "Sorry. We received a distress signal and came to see the problem. I'm Professor John Smith and this is my Security Detail, Hermione Granger. And that's a cat," he added, when he saw that one of the men had taken notice of Crookshanks and was eyeing him.

The leader of the group examined the paper and after a moment handed it back to the Doctor. "Right. I'm sorry about the greeting, but we've learned to be cautious lately. These damned Scrunts have multiplied by the thousands in the month since we landed." He glanced over at Crookshanks. "So he's been Evo'd, too?" he asked.

"Yes. Pretty recently," said the Doctor.

"If you don't mind I can speak for myself," said Crookshanks. The three men started, turning to stare at him. He nodded his head politely, and extending his hand for Hermione to take they fell in step behind the three men as they led the way to the main security console, where a black woman in her mid-thirties was sitting behind a desk and arguing over her communicator.

"Reggie, we got some newcomers for you," said the man. The woman looked up, and cutting off the man she'd been talking to mid-sentence, she stood up and extended her hand to the others.

"Regina Quinn. First-in-command and former head scientist of this expedition. You caught our distress signal, did you?"

"You were just making that up!" Hermione whispered. "How'd you know there'd be a distress signal?"

"There's always a distress signal!" the Doctor quietly responded. Then, more loudly and for the benefit of anybody who was wondering what they were going on about, said, "No, Miss Granger, I told you that is most inappropriate. Now," he clapped his hands together. "Why don't you tell me about this base?"

Reggie came around and sat at the edge of the desk. "The building we're standing in now was constructed from the remains of our ship after we landed on this planet. We were the first ship of over three dozen that chose this planet and were scheduled to land here."

"To Terraform," said one of the three guards. "Get it ready for all the life that was soon to take over."

"A scientific mission," said Reggie. "This planet was deserted and there was no need to train soldiers. Then, soon after we began using the Evo-Beam, a small amount of rats who had escaped from the cargo bay of our ship made their way into the laboratory. Well, not rats exactly," said the woman. She knelt down behind her desk, coming back up with a large glass jar filled with yellow liquid and, suspended at the center, a muscular gray creature with glittering eyes.

"You keep calling them Scrunts," said Hermione, leaning in for a closer look.

"They're what happened when the rats that had stowed away in our cargo hold mixed with, well, what are essentially alien versions of rats," said Reggie. "They look mostly the same…the biggest difference is the tail, you see the barbs?" she said. Hermione squinted and indeed there were several sharp jagged-looking hooks that looped off of the animal's tail. "And it's got two extra rows of teeth," added Reggie, turning the jar around. The Scrunt's mouth was now wide open, and Hermione could see that overlapping each normal row of teeth was a sharp extra row.

"That's one of the more disgusting creatures I've ever seen," said Hermione. "And I've seen Blast-Ended Screwts," she added pointedly.

"Blast-Ended Screwts?" said the Doctor. "Blech. Don't they sound just charming?" The two of them continued looking into the jar for a moment and the Doctor finally looked over at her. "So, you're the Security Expert. What should we do?" he said mischievously.

Hermione stood back up, looking thoughtful. "Well first off, what have you been doing to fight the Scrunts?" she asked.

Reggie shrugged. "We're scientists, not soldiers," she said. "The only officers on board were trained to deal with security issues between our passengers, not with other life forms…alien, genetically altered or otherwise," she said.

"Well, maybe your problem is that you're not thinking about this problem the right way," said Hermione. "You've got loads of scientists, so maybe you should find a scientific solution."

Reggie's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Well then, you're full of answers aren't you?" she said.

"It was just a thought," said Hermione. "Anyway, I'll tell you one thing right now. Crookshanks took out six Scrunts on the stroll up this way from our ship, by himself and without weapons," she added.

At this revelation Reggie did seem surprised, and a little bit intrigued. "You're a cat-human hybrid," is this correct?" she said.

"I am," said Crookshanks.

"Who better to fight a bunch of rats than a cat?" said Hermione off-handedly. But the words seemed to take a strange effect with Reggie. She stood up straight, staring at Crookshanks as if a light bulb had flashed brightly inside her head. "Oh, of course," she breathed, lips turning up into a smile. "Soldiers," she said. "Why didn't I think of it?"

She was moving immediately to the communicator she'd just abandoned, and barked several short orders to her staff. "What's going on?" Hermione asked the Doctor.

"A brilliant idea," he said. "Look at it…you can just see the little sparks behind her eyes. A scientific solution…I love humans," he said with a broad smile. "So inventive."

"I'm sending a general message out to the compound," said Reggie, glancing up at the Doctor and Hermione for the first time in several minutes. "More cat-human hybrids. It's a wonderful idea," she said with a smile. "We thought of using the cats before but we couldn't justify forcing harm on one creature just to fight another. But if we give them that human sentience…that human intelligence…"

"They'd have a choice," said the Doctor with a small nod.

"Exactly," said Reggie.

The order went out, and before an hour was out Hermione and the Doctor were loaded up, along with Crookshanks, in the first of a caravan of five canvas-covered trucks. At several points during the trip something hit the truck with a loud thud. Each time Crookshanks would leap from the truck and return a few moments later.

The owners who had agreed to the procedure were holding their cats closely. The little girl from earlier was now in the same truck, holding Bonnie close, tears glittering on her lashes. Hermione saw this and made her way over. "She'll still be your friend," she said quietly, stroking the little girl's hair.

"It won't be the same," she said, shaking her head.

"No. But it'll be wonderful. And special. Crookshanks was my best friend for a very long time," she added, glancing over at him as he reappeared once more from outside.

"And then he changed," said the little girl. After a moment, she nodded at him. "He's very brave," she said gravely.

"That's because he's got a bit of Hermione in him. And if you want her to, Bonnie will have a little bit of you inside her when she becomes part-human, too," said the Doctor, coming over to join her conversation.

The girl nodded again. They reached the laboratory, taking the trucks inside and closing the doors behind him. The cats were yowling as Reggie appeared from the second caravan and ran over to the Evo-Beam, making several adjustments to it as it whirred to life with an electronic buzzing. Two other scientists joined her, and between them they soon had the object ready to go. "Right!" said Reggie. "Do we have any volunteers?"

The large crowd all turned into look at one another, but nobody said a word. All of a sudden, Bonnie the Siamese cat jumped from the little girl's arms and strode over to Reggie, tail erect. Reggie picked her up, glancing up at the girl. "Is it all right?" she asked.

"Yes. Wait!" she called when Reggie began to prick her own finger. The girl darted forward. "You need a little bit of human to make it work, don't you?" she said.

Reggie nodded. The girl then put out her finger. "I want to do it," she said. She winced as Reggie lanced the tip of her finger, smearing the drop on a small piece of paper and placing it into a small slot. The cat jumped into the chamber of her own volition and, seeing that girl looked resolved to what was about to happen, Reggie closed the door and pressed the controls.

There was a loud humming and a bright green light. Something shifted, a large shadow that moved and grew until the light began to fade and left behind was a cat-woman with light tan fur and delicate features. She spun around, bright blue eyes flashing, and smiled. "Me-OW!" she said, stretching. Reggie opened the door, handing her a jumpsuit to change into.

After the first had gone through without incident, the others weren't nearly as reluctant to follow suit and, like the little girl, many others also allowed Reggie to take a small genetic sample to, as the scientist said, "Allow for divergence in the gene pool," or something to that effect.

"Now this is wonderful," said the Doctor. "And rare. A brand new species not created out of fear or anger, or the desire to control. But out of love."

"Love?" said Hermione in surprise. She glanced over at Crookshanks, who was laughing at something that Bonnie had said.

"The humans didn't need the cats," said the Doctor. "They just felt alone in this great, big vast universe. So they found a pet, something to love and care for and make them feel important," he said.

Hermione turned so that she was facing him now. "So that's why you keep us around?" she said. "What was it you said…ah…I make you feel more human?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Ah. Well. What I was saying…they couldn't bear hurting the cats so they refused to do the one thing that might have saved them."

"Use the Evo-Beam to evolve the cats into bigger cats, make them strong enough to fight the Scrunts," said Hermione. The Doctor nodded.

"Oh yes. It would have been murder. They would have had to kill the resulting animals; they'd have been too dangerous to keep around. So they sat here and nearly starved instead. But the cats…the cats were perfectly willing to help. All they needed…"

"Was a choice," said Hermione. She made her way over to Crookshanks suddenly, and pressing her arms around him pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back, and she wasn't at all surprised to hear the deep rumbling purr in his chest. "You knew all along, didn't you?" she asked. "What you were doing."

"Not exactly. I am part Kneazle, you know," he said. "Good sense of character, excellent direction. I felt compelled to do the things I did, though it was more instinct that conscious thought."

Hermione smiled. Crookshanks reached out and affectionately scratched her behind the ear. "We're going to be going, the Doctor and I," said Hermione. "I…we probably won't be back," she said, glancing over at Bonnie. "Be happy, okay?" she said, and began to walk away. But Crookshanks suddenly stopped her.

"Hermione…there is somebody else, waiting to be born. A change is coming," he said suddenly.

"What?" she stammered slowly, turning back around.

"Be careful," he said. And with that he waved at her, and the Doctor appeared nearby. Together they made their way back to the TARDIS, Hermione puzzling over what he had said.

"Somebody else is waiting to born?" she said. "Change is coming? What did that mean," she asked.

"No clue," said the Doctor. "Sounds like rubbish to me." Of course, they both knew that he was lying, and this only served to make Hermione swear to herself to eventually get to the bottom of whatever it wasthat could possibly mean. They stepped into the box, and leaving New Earth to grow and prosper disappeared. It was the Doctor who grew pensive as he flew away. The humans had created the cats, and after they had died off it had been the cats that created the new humans. Perhaps there was something to that, he mused, and with that as his final thought proceeded onward into the stars.


	7. Torchwood United

**A Doc, a Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: J**ust to clarify before this chapter starts…for the Doctor, everything that is taking place is happening between the events of Journey's End and The End of Time when he regenerates. For Harry's gang, everything is taking place around 2004. So this version of Jack hasn't yet reunited with the Doctor (and is still running around with his severed hand). And I know I just gave away that Captain Jack is appearing in this chapter but I'm pretty sure that the title would have given it away anyway.

**Torchwood United**

"What do you think she meant by it? Do you think we're over, as in completely over? Or do you think she meant…well, I'm just going to tear your heart out and let you bleed a while over, but take me back the next time she comes around? Or…"

"Ron." Harry was leaning over on the breakfast table, both hands pressed to either side of his forehead. "I'm not a mind reader. I'm really not sure what Hermione's thinking right now, especially as it's been well over seven months since I had a proper sit down with her. But I think it's safe to say that she isn't exactly happy with you at the moment."

Ron scowled and dunked his scone violently into his tea. He had been obsessing over the incident with Hermione ever since she disappeared once again with the Doctor. It just wasn't fair, he finally surmised, that she up and left without even giving him a chance he wasn't the git she seemed to have gotten it into her head that he was. After all he loved her, right? He was certain that he did. Or fairly certain. "Rubbish," he finally managed weakly. Harry discreetly rolled his eyes and, tucking the mornings _Quibbler _under his arm, stood up.

"Just give it time. Things will work themselves out," he said. "Now come on. We have an important meeting at the Ministry."

Like Hermione and Ginny, Harry and Ron had gotten their own flat soon after they left Hogwarts. While Harry had immediately gone to work for Kingsley, Ron had gone to work for George at the WWW, and had remained there until Harry finally convinced him to take an opening in the Auror department—an opening that he himself had pushed for with as much conviction as he could muster, until Kingsley finally gave in.

It surprised Harry quite often that others were shocked that he considered Ron not only his best friend, but his brother. Though they had often disagreed about things—and indeed, what brothers didn't—Harry had also seen the sacrifices that Ron had made throughout their friendship. And while most people saw the times that Ron had found those sacrifices too much to bear, Harry was far more inclined to see that for every one of those there had been a hundred more sacrifices that Ron had made without a word.

It hurt him, too, that Harry was fully aware that Ron's relationship with Hermione had ended and he couldn't say a word about it. And hurt him more that, in some ways, he had always seen it coming. Had always known it would.

In silence they Apparated to the Ministry, and together made their way to the lift, taking it not to the office that housed the Auror offices but to the very top floor, where the Minister himself was waiting to meet them and their special guest.

"So who exactly is this guy?" asked Ron, ducking to avoid a paper memo as it sailed over his head and through the lift doors.

"Muggle. Well, sort of. He runs the office known as Torchwood…you know, the one that picked up the spaceship that crashed at Hogwarts?"

Ron hummed thoughtfully. "So this Torchwood place, they take care of alien stuff on earth? They're with the Muggle Ministry, or whatever it is?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. There's another Muggle organization called UNIT…they're international. But they don't know anything about the wizarding world."

"And this Torchwood place does?" said Ron.

"Well, think about it this way. This guy? He contacted us."

The doors opened and Ron and Harry stepped out. In front of them loomed the frosted double-doors of the Ministers doors. Harry stepped through, nodding at the silver-haired receptionist behind the front desk, who waved him in without a second glance. When Ron attempted to follow she coughed delicately. "Excuse me, young man. Papers?" she said sweetly.

"Bernice, she's with me," said Harry, doubling back.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Go on in young man."

Ron barely suppressed a scowl as he made his way in after Harry. As they entered the office they saw Kingsley leaning back in his chair, laughing loudly, as a man in what appeared to be a military greatcoat relayed a story to him.

"So then we found him in the cage with the chimp, and all he could say was, what happened to my banana!" he said with a flourish. Kingsley roared, and as he calmed down looked past the man to see Harry and Ron standing there.

"Ah! There you are!" he said. The man turned around, eyebrows lifting when he saw them. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, a fairly attractive man with a small cleft in his chin.

"A ginger, not bad," he said, as if speaking to himself. Then, catching sight of Harry, he strode forward with his hand extended. "Captain Jack Harkness," he said, grinning.

"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you." Harry took his hand and Jack squeezed it, winking.

"The Chosen One," he said cheekily.

"This is my partner, Ron Weasley," said Harry. Ron waved half-heartedly. Jack's face fell a little, the meaning of which only Harry caught onto and, discreetly he hoped, made him take two full steps away from Ron.

"Captain Harkness is the leader of a group that has dealings with the alien menace on earth," said Kingsley. "He's caught wind of some of our recent…incidents…and wishes to ask the both of you a few questions."

"With any luck, we're going to be working together for the foreseeable future," said Jack, winking again.

"Ah…I guess so," said Harry. "Why don't we take this out of the Ministry?" said Harry. "Have you ever been to Diagon Alley?"

"Once, in the 1950s. Met a lovely little witch named Minerva, had a little fling. Wonder what she's up to these days?" he said thoughtfully.

Ron sent a panicked look in Harry's direction, to which his only reply was a subtle shrug. "Let's go, then. The Leaky Cauldron. Food's gotten a bit better since Hannah Abbott took over, so it's my treat."

"Lead on," said Jack, and—leaving substantial space between himself and Ron—Harry led the way to the fireplaces connected to the Floo Network.

It was at least an hour before the first wave of dinner patrons really began, so the three of them had the bar almost entirely to themselves. Only a thin man in gray robes sat at the far corner of the room, nursing a tall mug of butterbeer and mumbling to himself. Harry, Ron, and Jack took a table near to the bar, where a tall woman with thickly curled blonde hair squeaked in excitement and waved excitedly at Harry, soon appearing before them with three tall mugs.

"Harry, Ron! Good to see you again. Who's your friend?" she asked, turning her attention on Jack.

"Captain Jack Harkness," he said, taking her hand and kissing it, prompting an excited giggle.

"So back to business," Harry interrupted. Hannah caught the hint and quickly excused herself.

"Yeah. About that. I want you to tell me all about the Cybermen, and what you know about the Doctor." Jack sat back in his seat, and his entire demeanor suddenly seemed to change. Gone was the flirting, irreverent Jack from a moment before, and left in his place was a man who suddenly seemed intent on what he was doing.

Ron and Harry exchanged glances. "The Cybermen," said Harry, clearing his throat. "I honestly don't know what to tell you about that."

"How about where they came from?" said Jack. "And how you got rid of them?"

Harry scratched his head. "Well, where they come from is sort of a long story. And to tell you the truth most of it is still a mystery. You see, there's this Veil…"

"The Veil of Imprisonment. Yeah, I know," said Jack. "Pocket universe used as a prison for a millennia or two. So the Cybermen came through the veil?"

Harry had to push to get over his initial reaction at Jack's knowledge of his own world. "Well," he finally managed. "From what I understood, the Cybermen escaped from somewhere else and got caught inside the veil. They used the prisoners there to create new versions of themselves…magic-using versions. I think the Doctor would just have destroyed the thing but Hermione got herself caught inside, and…"

"Hermione?" asked Jack, leaning forward on the table.

"Our friend," said Harry. "She's traveling with the Doctor. What I was saying, is…"

"She's traveling with the Doctor?" said Jack, snapping his mug of butterbeer back down on the table. "What about Rose?"

"Er…" Harry stammered. "I don't know a Rose."

"Hermione always wanted to name her daughter Rose," Ron said moodily. "You know, if we'd ever..." He broke off, catching the strange look that Harry was giving him. "Sorry."

Jack shook his head, as if trying to get his thoughts together. "No, back to the Cybermen," he said. "Doctor later. Cybermen now. How'd you kill them?"

Harry described their journey into the depths of the veil, explaining that the Doctor had done something to their wands to destroy the beings. Jack was quiet for a long moment after, and finally took a deep breath. "All right then. I need to see this Sirius Black, the one who was trapped in the veil. Where is he?"

After Ron left the WWW, George had carried on with business as usual, hiring teenagers and newly graduated students, keeping most for only a matter of days before they were scared off by some explosion or new trick of George's…and whose fault was it but theirs that they didn't understand the vast need for product testing in a business such as his?

He had just lost a shop assistant a month before when he received a very strange visit from Harry—a visit that, it seemed, had been to inform him that the dead had indeed come back to life. In this case none other than Sirius Black, the brooding animagus with whom he'd spent a summer while he was a teenager.

Harry had requested that George allow Sirius to join him in the day to day running of the shop. And though it had seemed a strange idea at the time, George had soon realized that he had found a compatriot of sorts in Sirius, the one-time marauder ( and indeed, inventor of the clever map he and his brother once found) who had lost so much in his own life.

Though nothing could replace the death of his twin, he had found a new companion in Sirius, who it seemed was as much in need of a laugh as George had been.

And besides that, Sirius was good for business. Things had been booming since the accused murder/escaped criminal/assumed dead wizard had taken to strolling about his shop of an afternoon.

As for Sirius, it was enough just to be out in the open air for the first time in so long. Although he wasn't ashamed to admit that the pretty witches running around Diagon Alley were a bonus.

George was the first to spot Harry coming through the door, flanked by his younger brother and a man he had never seen before. "Oi! Black! Your godson's showing his ugly face in here again. Throw him out will you!" he called.

There was a bit of movement in the backroom, and after several moments Sirius emerged. He wore a velvet waistcoat with gold buttons, and his tangled black hair had been cut to his shoulders. He had steadily been putting on weight as well—due in part, no doubt, to his frequent visits to the Burrow.

Though Harry had been unable to part with 13 Grimmauld place, Sirius had felt no remorse in selling the place the moment he returned, and had used the sum to secure himself a penthouse in Muggle London. The remainder had gone toward a new wand, clothes, and clothes—although a small part had been discreetly delivered into Harry's hands, as it had been 'properly his'. Harry had protested this, at which point Sirius had quietly informed him he thought the amount enough to acquire an engagement ring.

"Harry! And to what do I owe the pleasure?" he said with a broad smile.

"Official business, I'm afraid."

"Now when did you grow up on me, boy?" said Sirius mournfully.

"One of us had to, old man," said Harry.

"Excuse me, Captain Jack Harkness," said Jack, pushing past Harry to take Sirius' hand. "And if you don't mind me saying so, you're a rather well-aged specimen."

"Ah. I'm sorry," said Sirius, raising his eyebrows. "But I'm straight."

"It's never too late to change," said Jack pointedly.

Ron's eyes widened and Harry quietly suggested that they retire back to the storage room to discuss Sirius' imprisonment and the arrival of the metal monsters. Jack listened to his story, frowning as it came to a close.

"What I want to know is what happened to all of them? There were thousands, you said, but that many couldn't have fit inside their ship when it was destroyed. And we know that many didn't come out of the Veil at the Ministry."

"If you think they're still in the other world, blow the damned thing up," said Sirius in agitation.

"We can't do that until we know just what's going on with the thing," said Jack. "A pocket universe? Just one? A big old alien Veil created just for one little pocket universe. I wonder…"

"So you think there are more then?" said Harry.

"More than likely," said Jack. "What I'm wondering is if I could convince your Ministry to let me take the Veil for further examination."

"Fat chance of that happening," said Ron, speaking up for the first time in several minutes. Everybody turned to stare. "What? Nothing is ever removed from the Department of Mysteries," he said. "The only way they'd ever consider it would be to appoint a guard to watch the bloody thing, 24/7. You know, in case the big bad muggle tries to steal a magical object."

"Hey, you know, the ginger's not as dumb as he looks!" said Jack, not noticing the scowl Ron shot him.

"What? You mean a guard?"

"No, the whole stealing a magical object thing," said Jack. He caught Harry's glare and shrugged. "What? It was just a thought. But the guard thing could work too," he added quickly.

"I could do it," said Sirius casually, picking at his fingernails.

"Bit of a criminal record, Sirius. Plus, didn't you suggest blowing the damned thing up?"

"What about me?" said Ron. Once more everybody turned to stare at him.

"You?" said Harry incredulously. "But why?"

"I just got dumped. The other Aurors are pissing mad because they think the only reason I got hired was because we're mates. My mum's barking at me because she thinks I did something to drive Hermione away…"

"She does," affirmed Sirius, with a nod.

"Listen, it'd only be for a little while. Until the investigation was over," said Ron. "Until then, I'll hang out at Torchwood."

Now everybody turned to Jack. "If your Ministry is okay with it," he said finally, "then I am too. Make the arrangements, Potter. Ginger, I guess you're coming with me."

They all parted their ways, and leaving the security of Diagon Alley Ron stepped out into muggle London. "It smells like tar," he said bitterly as he fell in step beside Jack.

"It's progress," said Jack. "A hundred years ago it smelled like horse dung. A hundred years before that chamber pots and the unwashed masses. A hundred years from now it'll smell like burnt plastic." He took a deep breath through his nose and released it with a sigh. "Ah…damn," he said after a moment. "I left the car…somewhere else. Hold on," he said. He pulled up the sleeve of his coat and attempted to do something with an item on his wrist. "Nope," he said finally. "Still not working."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on," he said, and grabbing Jack's wrist he Apparated the both of them to a spot within the Secrecy Field of the Ministry, where not far away a shiny black jeep sat. Ron began to step in, realizing before he sat that he was on the driver's side, and turning a bright shade of red walked around the back of the vehicle to hop into the other seat.

"So where are we going?" he asked.

"Cardiff. Buckle up, it'll be a long ride."

Ron stared sullenly out the window as they drove away. Within fifteen minutes they'd left the edges of London. From his spot Jack was shooting casual glances his way. Finally he shrugged. "Not bad, I guess," he said quietly enough that Ron couldn't hear. Then, a little louder, "So, tell me about this girl that you're running away from. The one who went with the Doctor. What was her name? Hermione?"

"Yeah. Hermione. She was my girlfriend up until a month ago. Seven, I guess, if you count the rest of the time she was gone."

"You must have really loved her," said Jack. "You know, to be this hung up on her."

"Of course I loved her! We've been together for five years now."

"That doesn't mean you love somebody," said Jack. "It just means you find it convenient to think that you do. So what is it? That twinkle in her eye? The way she smiles at you? The way her butt looks in a really tight pair of jeans…"

"Shut up!" said Ron, turning to glare at Jack. "I don't even know who you are."

Jack shrugged. "Just wondering. I've fallen in love a few times. Fallen out of it a few more. One of the greatest experiences in being human," he said. "So what is it?"

Ron stared sullenly at Jack, then turned back to the window. He didn't speak for several minutes. "She's really smart," he said finally. "Bloody brilliant. The most clever person I've ever known. But she doesn't know it, not really. She's brave too, and she always fights for what she thinks is right. She never backs down…and she never gave up on me. Not until now."

Jack was frowning. "She sounds like a remarkable woman," he said finally.

"She is. I remember the first time I realized I loved her. It was when we were in fourth year. I wanted to ask her to this ball with me but I was afraid…I thought…I thought Harry would ask her. So I didn't. And she ended up going with this Bulgarian Quidditch player. Krum."

"Krum," said Jack. "Bulgarians. Never liked them much. Very...sensitive. So you were willing to let Harry have her? If he wanted her?"

"Well…yeah. He's my best friend." Ron sighed, pushing a hand restlessly through his hair. "Even now I sometimes think there's something between them. And that's stupid because Harry's about to ask my sister to marry him. I think." He stopped, glancing over at Jack. "Anyway, what do you care? Don't even know why I'm talking about this."

Jack shrugged. "Long car ride. Sharing secrets or long and awkward pauses. Anyway, you'll never see me again after this affair with the veil is over."

Ron mulled it over. "There was this…this thing that happened when the three of us were traveling together. You know, war, trying to defeat You-Know-Who. I was wearing this…this thing. This evil thing. And it was putting all these thoughts in my head that I couldn't control. I kept seeing them there, together, loving each other. And I was so certain, so stupidly bloody certain that they wanted to be together…that I was only a hindrance to their happiness because they didn't want to hurt me…" With a cough, he paused. In his mind he could remember the weight of the object around his neck, and the cold whispers that had echoed through his mind. He remembered too the decision he had made to leave.

Hermione had never understood it. Even Harry hadn't, entirely. But at the time he had thought it was the only way to fix everything, and he had never even told Harry just what had been in his mind when he left, and what he had meant to do.

He remembered throwing down the pendant, leaving them. In that moment he had been certain of his next course of action—certain that there could be no other. He was going to kill himself, end everything, and damned them if they forgot and moved onto their happy lives together. But suddenly his thoughts had become clearer when the charm of the horcrux was gone. He realized in that moment that even had he been right he could have been happy for them—that it wasn't worth it to lose his two best friends because of his own selfishness.

And Harry had had too many people die already to add his own name to the list.

But that wasn't all. Ron felt his mind trying to play at the part of that memory that he had solidly been trying to ignore for the past five years. It had always been there, eating away at a small part inside him, the things he had never quite been able to admit but had always known.

The memories hurt, as much as the horcrux eating into his mind had once. Most of the rest of the car ride was eaten up by silence, with Jack feeling the need to break into some story or another every few miles to relieve the tension. Meanwhile, Ron discreetly looked over at the man. There was something he had to know, he realized suddenly, before he returned home to Harry and his family. Ron took a deep breath and turned to Jack.

"So you're…I mean to say, you're bisexual or something…right?" said Ron cautiously. "I mean…you were hitting on Sirius. And Harry. And I think even me, a little bit. But you hit on Hannah, too."

"What can I say?" Jack shrugged again. "I'm originally from the 51st century. Don't ask," he said quickly, seeing the look on Ron's face. "Things aren't as…set in stone…you know?" he said. "Most things are acceptable, more or less. Oh, you wouldn't believe, there was once this three-eyed alien girl from Jeefra Seven…"

But Ron was already distracted. He had leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, and barely heard much else that came out of Jack's mouth for the next few minutes.

Finally catching on, Jack stopped in the middle of a story about an intergalactic love triangle involving him, the Jeefra countess, and a Time Agent who'd just gotten back from a trip to the thirteenth century. He looked over at Ron. "Oh. Oh, boy," he said. "Ah, I didn't expect that. You—"

"Shut it," he warned.

"But…I mean…you really…"

"I said, shut it," Ron hissed.

"You're gay, aren't you?"

"I'm not bloody gay!" Ron shot up. "I am not! I have…I had…"

"A girlfriend who probably realized that something was off in your relationship, but didn't know quite what," said Jack. "You can't hide from what you are, ginger," he said. "So let me see if I understand you. You were in love with your best friend but never had the guts to tell him because you thought he loved your other best friend…am I getting warm?"

"You are seriously getting close to being cursed, Captain Jack," said Ron.

"No, no. I think I got the rest. So you knew Harry liked girls so you kept quiet. At some point he gets with your sister, and you start having real feelings for Hermione. Because she's brave, and clever, and brilliant. But you never love her like you love Harry, no matter how hard you try. And…"

"And she was my last chance at having a bloody normal life," said Ron in defeat. "Oh, fuck. What am I supposed to do? I really did love her."

"But she deserves better than being second best," said Jack.

They finished the drive in silence.

* * *

Harry finished confirming everything with the Minister and the Department of Mysteries just as the arch containing the veil disappeared from sight. It vanished without ceremony and with great mystery—just as it seemed the Ministry was content to have it, as officially they would never do such a thing as grant a muggle agency freedom with an ancient and powerful magical artifact.

At the end of the day he returned to the flat, now strangely empty with Ron off on his mission with Torchwood. Harry flipped on the light, and with a sigh proceeded to pick up the bottles, wrappers and napkins that littered the sitting room. He was in the middle of this task when he heard a pecking at the window. Harry turned. A barn owl with a wide yellow face was staring back at him, a letter clutched firmly in his beak. He went to the window and opened it. The owl hopped inside, depositing the letter on the table, and then fluttered to his shoulder.

"Hey, Mooney," he said, ruffling the bird's feathers. "I was wondering where you'd got to. Been a couple of days—thought you were getting tired of me."

The bird hooted softly in reply and began preening. Harry picked up the envelope, surprised to find Ron's writing on the front. He moved to the kitchen as he broke the seal, grabbing an apple before settling down on a large leather sofa.

_Harry,_

_I'm not going to be coming home. Not for a bit. I mean after this whole arch thing is over, I might not come back right away. I have some things to work out. I was talking to Jack…he's really not as big a git as I thought he was at first. But he made me think about things, you know, with Hermione and stuff. And maybe we're both better off not being together, right? So I might stay away for a bit. But we're still mates, no worries. I better send this with Mooney, he's about to peck my fingers off. Smart bloody owl, always shows up when somebody needs him. Talk to you later._

_Ron_

Harry reread the letter a couple of times, finally shaking his head. With a sigh he tossed the letter down on the seat beside him, taking a large bite from his snack. "What a git," said Harry to nobody in particular. Mooney fluttered down to the sofa and nibbled agitatedly at the corner of Ron's letter. "I know, right?" said Harry. "He's as thick as he ever was. Except I still don't know how Hermione didn't see it. If course, I didn't even see it until a couple of years ago. Why are you looking at me like that?" he said when Mooney turned his face up to Harry.

He leaned back, thinking about his friend. "I don't know why he thinks I'd care if he was…you know," he said to Mooney, who continued to look at him with pointed interest. "I mean, a lot of the others wouldn't like it much. But George has all but told me he thinks he is, too. And he had a bit of a thing for Hermione himself, a couple years back! Don't ever tell her that," Harry added.

He yawned, stretching. "Bloody idiot," he said finally, and with that used his wand to flip off the light and retire to his bedroom.


	8. The Seven Meetings

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and A Box**

**Author's Note: **I've been obsessing over the new series of Doctor Who for days now. It's terrible…going over all the theories of everything that might possibly happen, trying to figure things out, and in a strange way finding it all very reminiscent of those last few years before Deathly Hallows came out, when I (and just about the rest of the world) was doing pretty much exactly the same thing. Funniest thing about it all is how many times lately I've found myself wanting to move halfway around the world just so I don't have to wait the extra few weeks to get new episodes of the series. Ah, well, I'll just have to be patient.

**The Seven Meetings**

"Come on Hermione!"

"But I haven't finished it yet!"

The Doctor did his best to glare at Hermione, but it came off as more of an annoyed smirk. He grabbed the book aware from her and flipped through it quickly, replacing it on the shelf before she could grab it back from him. "Bit anticlimactic, really," he said. "Boy meets girl, boy dies saving girl, at some point somebody gets amnesia and they live happily ever after. Or something like that. Now let's go," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the towering shelves.

They had spent almost a week at the Library, Hermione practically dancing among the books as she searched out all the forgotten lore of her planet. She had even managed, through hours of digging, to find a battered copy of _Hogwarts: A History_, filed in the fiction section. But the Doctor had finally grown restless, and with a distinct lack of adventure to keep him distracted he'd decided it was time to move on.

Reluctantly Hermione followed him back to the TARDIS. "You'll bring me back sometime, won't you?" she said, sitting down near the console as the Doctor began to work the controls.

The Doctor looked up from what he was doing, brows furrowed. "Perhaps," he said after a long pause. "But Hermione…"

Glancing up at him, Hermione saw something in his eyes that she knew she'd seen several times through their journeys. Although the passage of time was different, darting from point to point in space and time, as near as she could figure she had spent a month traveling with the Doctor. Though it was a short period of time, by any persons standards much less a thousand-year-old Time Lord, she had come to believe that she knew him about as well as any person could. And there was something in his gaze that unnerved her.

"What aren't you telling me?" she asked. "Back on New Earth, Crookshanks said something you tried to brush off. Change is coming. And you act like you don't want me here…no, not that," she conceded. "You act like you shouldn't have me here."

The Doctor stopped what he was doing. After a long moment he sighed. "I could tell you," he said slowly. "But then I'd have to kill you."

"Shut up!" shrieked Hermione, slapping him on the arm. "I'm serious!"

"And so am I! Well, maybe not about the killing part," he said. "But honestly, Hermione, you don't want to know what's going to happen to me. I don't even want to know what's going to happen to me," he added, looking uncomfortable.

So that was it, thought Hermione, ruminating over the idea. Something was going to happen to the Doctor, and soon. "So you're just avoiding the inevitable now?" she said. "By knocking around with me?"

The Doctor coughed and suddenly seemed to have something incredibly important to do at the controls. Hermione sat back, closing her eyes as the familiar hums and vibrations of the TARDIS indicated that once again they were moving through time and space. "So where are we off to now?" she asked.

"I don't know. Why don't you decide?"

"What?" her eyes flashed open and she shot back up. "What do you mean? Like…anywhere?" she asked.

"Well, not exactly anywhere," he said. "But almost anywhere."

Hermione turned her gaze toward the floor. "Well…there is something. Kind of important," she said.

"Oh, no," said the Doctor. "I've been through this before. You're not going to go back and change history!"

"I didn't say I wanted to change it!" said Hermione, a tad indignant. "Good lord, that would mess up everything…I could never do that. But…I would like to see it," she said, her voice growing quiet.

The Doctor seemed disturbed by the thought, and didn't answer her for several moments. "You promise you won't change anything?" he said finally.

"Oh, thank you!" said Hermione. She jumped up, throwing her arms around the Doctor.

"All right. What day?" said the Doctor.

Hermione took a deep breath. "The thirtieth of October, 1981."

"I can't see it." The Doctor squinted, staring at the spot that Hermione had indicated. "Why can't I see it?"

"It's protected by an Unbreakable Oath," said Hermione. "It's kind of like a...well…"

"A magical perception filter. How clever," said the Doctor. "Can you see it?" he added.

Hermione nodded. "Probably because I already know what happens…that they're here," she said. The house seemed like nothing more or less than a cozy family home, to casual eyes. It made the tragedy of what was about to happen even harder for her to bear. Taking a deep breath, she held the Doctor's hand. "Just focus. The Potters are inside the house, right between there," said Hermione, pointing to one, "and there," she added, pointing to another.

"There we are!" said the Doctor. He took a step forward. "Harry's in there?" he asked.

"Harry and his parents," Hermione confirmed. "We're about to see one of the most important moments in wizarding history. And the most important moment in my best friend's life."

The Doctor reached out, taking her hand in his. He gave it a tight squeeze, and suddenly Hermione felt a key in her palm. "Non magical perception filter," he said with a nod. "Why don't we go on inside?"

Hermione took a deep breath and slid the long chain around her neck. She instantly felt as if she didn't quite exist…almost as if she existed just a fraction away from the dimension she belonged in. The Doctor slipped the key around his own neck and immediately Hermione had to focus to keep her attention on him. As if in response to this need he took her hand again and, dashing across the street, the made their way to the little house where the Potters lived.

"What time is it?" whispered Hermione as the Doctor gazed inside one of the windows.

"A little after ten," he replied.

"Then Voldemort won't show up for a little while," said Hermione. She stood up on her toes, just able to see inside the sitting room. "It's James!" she whispered. "Look, that man…oh my, he really does look like Harry!" she said. She felt her heart squeeze in on itself with unexpected emotion. Tears threatened to well up in her eyes and she urged them away, taking several long deep breaths.

"Budge up! Your taking up the sofa," a woman called out, and before Hermione could prepare herself a beautiful young woman—younger that herself, Hermione realized with shock—came sailing into the room. In her arms she held a squirming baby boy with a shock of dark hair, who babbled happily as she came to sit down beside her husband. They kissed each other soundly, and James took Harry, bouncing him up and down on one knee.

"Did you read the letter?" James asked quietly, his demeanor changing slightly as he glanced over at Lily.

She nodded. "Of course. Sirius says that Dumbledore is trying to recruit the American Aurors, or whatever it is they call them, but they won't budge. "

"He'll get them, and the rest of the world too if he thinks we need them," said James. "Dumbledore could do anything."

"Perhaps," said Lily quietly.

All of a sudden Hermione felt her nose begin to itch. "I'm going to sneeze!" She whispered in a panic. All of a sudden the Doctor reached out, pinching her nose.

"Don't. Don't sneeze. Don't even sneeze. Sneeze and you're dead," he said.

Hermione pulled away and glared at him. "You find that funny for some reason," she hissed.

"Long story," he said, smirking.

Hermione shook her head. Her brain suddenly felt foggy. "What's going on?" she murmured. "I feel like…I have the flu, or something…" she said.

The Doctor frowned. "What it is?" he asked. "What's going…"

But he was interrupted by a loud roaring sound—the sound of the TARDIS taking off. "What?" he cried out in shock. Forgetting Hermione temporarily, he turned and ran in the direction of his time machine. Putting her hand to her forehead, she tried to get her thoughts together. And then, unable to stop it, she did sneeze, eyes squeezing closed.

"Bless you," a little girl called out.

"Thanks," mumbled Hermione. And then, suddenly her eyes flashed open. "Where am I?" she said slowly and then, more forcefully, "Where in Merlin's Beard am I?"

"You're at the park, silly," the same little girl said, and this time Hermione glanced down at the child. She was little more than ten old, a small and slender child with tousled red hair. Hermione almost excused herself from the little girl's presence when she suddenly looked into her eyes. They were bright green, the same bright green that she had looked into many times before.

"Lily?" she gasped. The girl giggled.

"How'd you know my name?" she said. She closed one eye, staring up at Hermione. "I've never seen you before. Did you move here?"

"I'm just visiting," said Hermione. Her stomach was turning over violently. What was going on? A quick cursory glance told her what she already knew—that the Doctor and the TARDIS were both nowhere to be seen. So how had she ended up not only lost in time, but somehow abandoned in the 1960s?

"You're really pretty," the girl said. "Do you want to play with me? I know!" she said. "You can meet Sev. His real name is Severus, but I call him Sev. Do you want to know a secret?" the girl said.

Hermione, seeing no other option, nodded to Lily. She gestured for Hermione to lean down, and in a loud whispered stated, "Sev is a wizard!"

"Is he now?" said Hermione.

The girl nodded. "And you know what?" she said. "I am too!" She cast her arms out wide, as if the whole universe was at her beck and call. Then she fell into a fit of giggles, and unable to help herself Hermione began to laugh too.

"You want to know my secret?" said Hermione. She reached into her pocket, pulling out her wand. "I'm a witch," she said. The girl's eyes widened and her mouth gaped.

"A real, proper one?" she said. "You mean, you've been to school and everything? Sev's told me all about the school," she said. "How there's Gryffindors and Slytherins and Slytherins are the BEST house to be in. Did you go to the school?" she said.

Hermione nodded. They continued to walk across the playground, and presently Hermione felt Lily's hand slip into her own. The girl continued to prattle on about the school, seeming to forget that these weren't the sort of things that she was meant to speak about in public. "I bet you have loads of brothers and sisters, and a mom and dad who're witches and wizards," Lily said presently. "I don't have any. Sev says I'm a mudblood and that's kind of a bad thing, but he can forgive me since it isn't my fault."

"It's not a bad thing to be muggle-born," said Hermione firmly. "And Snape…I mean, Severus," she added, quickly correction herself, "just doesn't realize that some of the best witches and wizards have ordinary parents. And never say mudblood, it's a horrible world."

They continued to speak for several minutes, conversation which baffled Hermione with its unimportance. It wasn't until she had been in the world with Lily for almost ten minutes that she was still wearing the perception filter, and it had done nothing to hinder Lily's ability to see her. Finally, Lily spotted something at the edge of the park, and releasing Hermione's hand rushed off to greet a small, thin boy in oversized clothes. His hair was unkempt, a sleek dark black, and Hermione didn't even have to hazard a guess that she was looking at the ten year old version of her old Potions professor.

"Come on!" urged Lily, pulling Severus over. "She's a real honest witch!"

"You can't say stuff like that in public, Lily!" said Severus. But he went along with Lily, and when he reached the spot where Hermione stood was close enough that she could have reached out and touched him had she chosen.

"You're making it up," said Severus, sticking his nose up in the air. "I don't like storytellers," he said.

"It isn't a story," said Lily firmly. She looked up at Hermione pleadingly.

"I don't think he can see me," said Hermione. "I'm not sure why, yet."

Lily let out a long sigh of frustration. "Fine," she said.

"You admit you're lying?" said Severus.

Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "I admit you're a donkey, Sevvie !" she said, and with a shriek took off as, grinning for the first time Hermione had ever seen in child or adult form, the young boy ran after her. Hermione was standing there watching when she heard the familiar hum of the TARDIS and turned. The Doctor jumped out of the machine. "Hermione! Thank goodness, I figured out what's happening! The TARDIS…"

But all of a sudden Hermione felt another sneeze coming on. Unable to stop it she squeezed her eyes tight, this time feeling as if the sneeze ripped her out of space itself. She opened her eyes and looked out into the Great Hall of Hogwarts. As she stood there she heard a pair of voices coming her way and turned. A young boy was arguing with a young woman—both appeared to be around seventeen.

"Come on, admit it! You love me."

"I'm seventeen! I'm not old enough to be in love," said Lily, rolling her eyes.

James caught her as she tried to walk away, falling dramatically on his knees before her. "Just say you'll marry me. Please! And I'll be forever yours."

"You'll be forever a git," said Lily. "Anyway, what's all this talk about marriage about? There's a war on, in case you didn't know it." She took a step closer to James. "And speaking of that, there's another meeting of the You-Know-What this Saturday."

"Count me in, as always. I'll be pulling Remus and Sirius along by their coattails as well."

"I can live with that," said Lily, smirking. She began to walk away and suddenly her gaze fell on Hermione. "Hey, James? Meet me at the Library. I need to do something."

James looked puzzled, but taking the hint walked away. Lily waited a long moment before rushing up to Hermione, pressing her finger into her chest. "You have a lot of nerve, showing up here again after the last time! I have half a mind to…"

"What?" said Hermione, taken aback. "I'm sorry, I've…I mean…do you even know who I am?"

"Of course, Miss Hermione Granger. Time travel, right? I don't know who you are, trying to mess with my life like this, but if you don't disappear right this instant I'm going straight to Dumbledore and…"

"And what? Get me detention in 1996?" stammered Hermione. She regretted saying it the moment she did. Lily's face got redder and she began to storm away. "Wait!" said Hermione, rushing to catch up with her.

"What's the matter with you? Do you think it's some sort of game, telling me the sort of things you've told me?" said Lily.

"I don't even know what I've told you! I've only met you once, when you were a little girl!"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks. "That's not even funny," she said. Then suddenly she sighed, closing her eyes. "Maybe I'm just going mad. Nobody else ever sees you…you probably don't even exist."

Hermione stepped forward, putting her hand on Lily's shoulder. "I do exist," she said quietly. "I'm very real, and I'm here to help. I think. Actually, perhaps I shouldn't. I don't even know anymore," she said, shaking her head woozily as another cloud settled over her thoughts.

Lily put her hand on top of Hermione's. "You sound as confused as I do," she said with a laugh.

Hermione laughed too. "Believe me, I've been confused pretty much every day since I met the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" said Lily, lifting her eyebrows. "Come on now, you never mentioned a man before. Is he the one that's got you so mixed up?"

"You could say he's part of the reason," said Hermione. She sighed, and together she and Lily began to walk down the hall.

"Then perhaps I can forgive you," said Lily. "I know how mixed up I can get where men are involved." She looked back at the corridor James had disappeared down, heaving a sigh. "If we don't get married, if we don't have a son, then it won't happen. The war won't end," she said.

Hermione stopped walking, taking a hold of Lily's arm. "Well, that's what you said, " Lily continued. "The last time."

"I told you about…that?" said Hermione. She felt another cloud imprint itself on her mind as another lifted, as if something was shifting itself throughout her head. "No…wait. Tell me exactly what I told you Lily. I need to know."

Lily glanced over at Hermione. "Do you look all right?" she said. Hermione nodded and urged her to speak, so Lily took a deep breath. "I marry James and we have a little boy. And that little boy grows up to defeat Voldemort and win the war."

Hermione sighed. "That's all I said?" she said. "Exactly, everything I said?"

Lily nodded. "That's why I was so angry! You can't just pop in and tell somebody they're going to marry somebody else. It sort of…I don't know…forces the issue. And even I decided I didn't want to marry James…say, I wanted to marry Phineas Abbott…now I can't because our son will be the chosen one."

"But don't you love James?" said Hermione.

Lily suddenly began to cough, prompting Hermione to pat her several times on the back. "I…I mean, we're only seventeen and…we have time for all that!" she said, blushing.

_About three years, _Hermione thought. "When you're at war, every day counts," said Hermione.

Lily shot Hermione a sidelong gaze. "I can see why my son falls in love with you," she said. Hermione found it was now her turn to blush, but before she could correct Lily's mistake Hermione felt a now-familiar itch in her nose. She tried to hold it, but in a moment she sneezed and, when she opened her eyes, found herself back in the sitting room of the Potter house.

"Lily!" Hermione gasped. The woman turned. She was now a little older, perhaps nineteen or twenty. She smiled serenely when she saw Hermione.

"I was wondering when you'd show up again!" she said. Her hand fell down to her belly, and Hermione felt another cloud cross her thoughts when she realized that Lily was pregnant and, from the looks of it, about to pop.

"Oh my!" said Hermione. "You're…I mean…"

"About to have my little boy," said Lily with a smile.

"But…you're in hiding, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course," said Lily. Hermione was walking along the edge of the room, glancing through the windows. "We only just went in, of course. Dumbledore insisted, though he hasn't told us why it's necessary. I heard Frank and Alice Longbottom are expecting a little boy too. Tell me…does it have something to do with Martin?"

"Martin?" said Hermione. "Who's Martin?"

"My baby of course," said Lily with a laugh.

"Ah…right," said Hermione.

"What, don't we name him Martin?" said Lily. Then suddenly she rolled her eyes. "Fine, James, Harry it is. You know what that bloke told me? That he and Sirius Black once had a dog called Harry and THAT'S what he wants to name our son. Can you imagine it? Being named after a dog? Well of course Sirius wouldn't mind," said Lily. "But I think Martin Potter sounds so much more dignified, don't you?"

"I'm quite fond of Harry Potter myself."

"Harry Martin Potter?"

Hermione winced. "I'd go with Harry James. He'll like it well enough when he gets older, though."

Lily shrugged. "The men always do get their way. When I have a daughter…" she said, shaking her head.

Hermione smiled, trying her best to keep the sadness at bay. Here was a woman who was experiencing the greatest joy in life, or so Hermione had heard…motherhood. And this same woman had no idea that becoming a mother would be the thing that ultimately would lead to her death. Hermione looked at her pregnant belly. Inside, the boy that would become Harry Potter was experiencing only protection that he would know for the next seventeen years.

It was a startling thought for Hermione, that from the moment he was born Harry had lived under the constant threat of harm…from abusive relatives or from violent criminals, he would not escape until he finally entered manhood.

"So what is it now?" asked Lily.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked.

"Well, every time I see you something happens that changes my life, somehow. The last time I saw you I managed to tell James I loved him. The first time I saw you, I realized that Severus wasn't right about a lot of the things he'd been saying…the things about muggle borns. That's why I got sorted into Gryffindor you know—because just before the Sorting I had the bravery to tell him off for all the things he'd been saying. And…"

"How many times have you seen me?" asked Hermione in shock. Though she wasn't quite certain she could remember this being her third encounter with Lily.

She thought for a moment. "This is the sixth," she said finally.

Three more? What could that possibly mean. "Do I…I mean, I sneeze every time I appear or disappear right? What's up with that?" she muttered to herself.

Lily laughed. "I've been wondering that myself. It's like a beacon or something. Everytime I hear somebody sneeze I look to see if you've arrived," she teased. She smiled brightly. "You know, Hermione, you really are my best friend. I can't wait to meet you later."

"I…you're wonderful, Lily. You really are," said Hermione.

"And Harry will be too. More wonderful that you'll ever know," she said quietly. Then she saw Lily's face fall, and suddenly realized her mistake. But it was too late to correct. She felt the tingle—closing her eyes, she tried her best to push it back, but again she couldn't help it. She sneezed, and when she opened her eyes she was in a young girl's bedroom, decorated in the bright pinks and oranges of the 1970s. Lily, now fifteen, sat curled up on her bed, eyes red from crying.

"What's wrong?" said Hermione.

Lily started, staring up at Hermione. "Oh, it's you!" she squealed. She jumped up and threw her arms around Hermione. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I knew if I tried hard enough I could get you to come!"

Hermione glanced over at the bed, and saw what she thought were traces of a Summoning spell. "What is it?" she asked.

Lily took her hand, yanking her over to the bed. "James asked me out. Can you believe it? James Potter actually asked me out! Like, on an actual date."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"He was such a total git this year!" said Lily. She leaned back on the bed, closing her eyes. "So why do I like him! I mean, really, why? He's not even that cute…Sirius Black is way cuter!"

"Well, maybe James won't be so bad as he gets older," said Hermione, surprised to find that her thoughts suddenly began drifting to Ron, piercing through a little bit of the fogginess.

"Maybe not," said Lily, biting her lip. "I mean..well…he did sort of back off of Severus at the end of the year. And he buckled down on his studies, too…can you believe he got an E for his Charms OWLs, and Os for Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration?" she sighed in frustration. "I just don't know what to do. I haven't answered his letter yet. I really don't know what to say…but you know! Tell me!" Lily demanded.

"I…I mean…you need to make that decision yourself," said Hermione. "Like with me. There was this boy I liked for a long time, but things kept getting in the way. And then we finally got together, and it was great. Things just sort of had to happen naturally," she explained, intentionally avoiding the fact that she had broken up with said boyfriend of five years just a little while earlier.

But talking about Ron suddenly made her mind clear up with perfect clarity. She suddenly realized what was going on. She had somehow become trapped in time—and not just time, but it appeared that she was trapped in somebody's timeline. But how? She felt the fog began to settle.

"What's wrong?" said Lily.

"I was…thinking about this guy. This really great guy," said Hermione. There it was…the clarity again. Thinking about her own life…her own timeline…seemed to be clearing up the fog. "We've been traveling together but I've gotten a bit lost. I need to find him, soon. I just don't know how…" She stopped, shaking her head. Lily was still staring at her, expectantly.

"Well?" she said.

"I don't know; just follow your heart."

Lily nodded, holding her hands over her chest. Finally she sighed. "You're right. I'll turn him down," she said with a flounce.

All of a sudden Hermione felt the sneeze coming on. "This is just getting ridiculous," she muttered right before her eyes slitted shut. When she opened them she was standing in a dark hall. Lily was walking toward her from the opposite end. Hermione supposed that she was sixteen, and she was between the point at fifteen where, apparently, she had made Lily turn James Potter down and seventeen, when they began dating.

As Lily approached her eyes lifted to Hermione. Her wand lifted slightly and then fell. With a strangled cry she rushed forward, throwing herself into Hermione's arms. "Oh, it's so horrible! This world is so horrible! They're dead!" she said.

"Who's dead?" asked Hermione, pulling Lily back to arm's length.

Lily stammered for a few moments, unable to speak through her tears. "The Powells. The…the Powell twins. They were muggle-borns," she spat. "Mudbloods. Not good enough for You-Know-Who and the new world he's building."

"Shh." Hermione put her arms around Lily's shoulder. "It'll be all right," she said.

"How? I'm next to die. I'm just a…"

"Don't say it," warned Hermione. "You're better than that. You're far better than them."

Lily shook her head in disgust. "I don't see how I can stop it. Everything seemed so simple just a few months ago. It all seems so stupid now, wanting to see you, ask your advice just because James Potter asked me out on a date. And I ended up going with him too! The lout begged me." At this a small smile managed to eke it's way out. Hermione squeezed tighter.

"Life isn't stupid, never," said Hermione.

"But how do I know it'll be all right?" said Lily finally.

Hermione knew what she had to do—knew because, in a strange way, she'd already done it. "I'm from you're future. I've seen it…and I know all about you. I'm a good friend of your son. Your son with James."

"My what?" choked Lily.

Hermione smiled. "You'll have a son with James Potter and he'll defeat Voldemort someday. You and James will make him go away but Harry will defeat him once and for all. Do you understand me? The three of you will be this worlds salvation."

Lily continued staring at her. The eyes reminded her greatly of Harry, and with that thought her mind once more cleared.

_I need to get a message to the Doctor! _She realized suddenly. "Do you have parchment and a quill?" asked Hermione suddenly.

"What? I…"

"I need to write a letter."

Lily, with furrowed brow, shrugged and summoned from a nearby classroom both.

"Do you remember the second time you saw me?" she asked. "After the time in the park, before I appeared in your bedroom."

Lily stammered out a date to her, along with a location. She even remembered the time, something for which Hermione was grateful enough to laugh out loud.

Hermione scribbled out a letter to the Doctor, sealing it quickly. Then, as if on an afterthought, she scribbled a second letter. She dated both and handed them to Lily. "I need you to take this letter to the Owl Post and have it sent to this exact location, on this exact date," she said. "My life depends on it. This one," she said, pressing it into Lily's hand, "is yours. Do not open it before that date…it is very important. Open the letter an hour before midnight on the thirtieth of October, 1981."

With wide eyes, Lily nodded. Hermione felt another sneeze coming on, and closed her eyes tightly.

When she opened them, she was standing in Diagon Alley. It was crowded but nobody seemed to see her. Cautiously moving through the crowd, Hermione spotted a girl sitting alone at a table. She ducked underneath the canopy and sat down beside her.

"Hello, Lily," she said.

The girl's eyes widened. "You!" she gasped.

"I have gotten that so many times today," said Hermione.

"I thought you were a dream, or…or my imagination, or something."

"Nope. Just me," said Hermione.

"Wow." Lily cocked her head to one side. "So what are you doing back?"

"Just dropping in to see how you're doing," said Hermione.

Lily nodded as if this were perfectly acceptable. "I'm glad you're real. I liked you," she added, smiling brightly.

Hermione smiled back. "So what are you doing here in Diagon Alley?" she asked.

"Getting my school things. My mum came with me—she's exchanging her money right now. Severus is going to try and slip away from his mum so he can come have ice cream with me!" she said, smiling.

"You really do like him, don't you?" said Hermione.

"We're best friends!" said Lily excitedly. "We're going to be best friends forever."

"I'm sure you will," said Hermione. "He's very…smart. And brave," she added, more for Harry's sake than her own.

Lily nodded somberly. "I wish he could see you. I think he'd find you interesting, but he probably wouldn't believe you were a mud…muggle-born. Sorry," she said, blushing. "I do think it's mean when he says that, but I keep forgiving him. Do you think I'm wrong?"

Hermione smiled and shook her head. "No. In fact…I'm going to ask you to do something for me, Lily. And for Severus. Never give up on him. Never. No matter how bad things may start to seem never give up on. Got it?"

Lily nodded. "Got it." Hermione suddenly froze, jumping up. "I have to go!" she said, and rushed away. She ran down the street, doing her best to avoid the people she saw along the way. Her nose began to itch and in agitation Hermione pinched it between two fingers, darting into a narrow alley and almost colliding with the Doctor.

"There you are!" he said. "I lost track of you after the first time you jumped."

"Did you get my letter?" said Hermione.

The Doctor nodded, holding up a piece of paper containing each of the six leaps that she had made, along with date and time. "Kept getting there just a moment too late," he said. "Come on in," he said.

He pushed open the doors and pulled Hermione inside, sitting her down. He knelt beside her, pulling out his stethoscope.

"So what's wrong with me?" Hermione asked.

"Just a virus," said the Doctor.

"What?" Hermione pushed the stethoscope off of her chest, staring at him. "A virus?"

"A time virus, sort of thing," he said, frowning. "You caught it from the TARDIS."

"WHAT?" Hermione stood up, staring at him in shock. "You must be kidding. A virus from a machine? From a rubbish blue box?"

"I'll have you know that this piece of 'rubbish' is not a machine. Or, not just a machine," he said. "What I mean…well, part of its alive. Mostly."

"So, how are we going to get rid of it?" she asked. She was still pinching her nose.

"Ah…that's the trick," said the Doctor. "It's just got to run it's course."

Hermione froze. "What?"

The Doctor cleared his throat. "Well. From the way things look you latched onto another person's timeline…you became imprinted on it. That was a result of a defect in the perception filter." The Doctor reached out and took the key from around Hermione's neck. "The virus was caused by the malfunction of two perception filters joining together…ours and the TARDIS', and the one around the house. It didn't do anything to me…I'm not fixed in time or space," he said almost proudly.

"So…I'm not following," said Hermione.

"For the duration of the virus, you don't exist. At least, not outside of her timeline. You became a parasite, feeding off of the energy of the changes you made in her life," he said.

"And…the sneezing?" said Hermione.

The Doctor paused. "I said it was a virus," he muttered. "Attached itself to the common cold." When he saw the look on Hermione's face he raised his hands defensively. "What is it with everything having to make sense with you?" he said, frowning.

"So what do we do now?" asked Hermione.

The Doctor turned. "Like I said, we have to let it run it's course. You have to be there for the end of Lily's time. The energy from her death will be enough to shake you back into your own."

He hit the controls on the TARDIS and they took off. Once they'd landed Hermione and the Doctor poked their head out the door. "Look! There I am!" he whispered, pointing at a figure streaking across the lawn. "Ah, I get it now. That wasn't the TARDIS taking off…it was the TARDIS landing!" he slapped himself on the forehead. "Sometimes I can be so daft! And…there," he said. A large white owl suddenly appeared in the night sky, dropping a letter so that it landed right at the Doctor's feet. The Doctor began to mouth something and…beside her…the Doctor whispered what his other self was saying for her benefit.

"A virus…two perception filters…of course!" he whispered. "See…is that what I look like when I figure something out?" he said suddenly. "I look quite mad, don't I?"

"Shh!" Hermione put her hand on his arm. "Wait."

After a few moments the Doctor entered the TARDIS and it disappeared, leaving on the current pair. "Let's go," said the Doctor, and together they rushed back to the house. They went to the same window they had been standing at before and Hermione went up on her tiptoes. Lily was looking toward the window, and when her eyes met Hermione's she started.

She stood and began to walk to the glass, but Hermione shook her head. Lily nodded in understanding and walked to a small desk.

"What is it dear?" asked James.

"Just restless," said Lily. She pulled open the drawer and withdrew a battered letter. She stared at Hermione as she broke open the seal, and then her eyes fell to the paper and she read.

By the time her eyes met Hermione's once more, and for the last time, they were filled with tears.

"I cannot tell you how much you mean to me," whispered Hermione, "though the six times we meet will be the only times. You and your husband will die in just a few moments, but because of your sacrifice Harry will live. I want you to know that it will not be for nothing. Your sacrifice will save the entire world and, more importantly, it will be the thing that saves Harry. Know too that Harry will never stop loving you, though he will never remember you. Your memory will inspire him to a greater good than anyone could ever imagine." She looked at the Doctor. "That's what I wrote. It's too late to change anything but she ought to know, before she dies."

There was a sudden blast. "Lily, it's him! Take Harry and run!"

James stood facing Voldemort in the doorway as Lily scooped up Harry and made her way to his bedroom. Hermione moved to the next window, where she watched Lily confront Voldemort. A flash of green light and Lily fell. Then he advanced on Harry, wand at the ready. He placed it on Harry's forehead, a gruesome smile coming over his face. And then there was a blast, resounding completely on him and so strong that it blew apart the house on ever y side. Hermione and the Doctor were thrown clear.

Both got shakily to their feet. "Take that, you bastard," muttered Hermione, dusting off her jeans.

"Let's go," said the Doctor. "You should be fine now."

"One moment," said Hermione. She ran over to the rubble, where Harry was now crying. None of the rubble had fallen where his crib stood—his mother's protection had extended to more than just Voldemort's curse. She leaned over and kissed the bright red wound that was already healing on his forehead. "It'll be a tough seventeen years, but I promise things get better," she said quietly.

Then, moving to what had once been the living room, she began to search for the letter. "Dumbledore would be suspicious if he found out somebody knew about it in advance," she said. "I need to get it out of here."

After a few more minutes of searching she saw the corner of it, buried under a pile of splinters. But she immediately saw that there was something strange about it.

"I didn't write this," she said, and breaking the seal read aloud.

_Hermione. I broke my promise to you. I read the letter. I'm sorry but I'm glad that I did because it gives me a chance to say to Harry the things I'll never get to say to him in life._

_Tell him that I'm proud of him. Tell him that I could never have imagined my son would become so important to so many people. Let him know that for one year he was the most important part of my world and I would gladly give a thousand lives to let him have just one. Let Harry know that no matter who or what he becomes in life he will always be, first and foremost, my son. Let him know that I am so proud of the friends he's kept, and proud of the good that he has done, and most of all let Harry know that I love him and my dying thought will be of him._

Tears were streaming down Hermione's face. "Oh my god," she said, pressing the paper to her heart. "She knew. All this time and she knew she would die. And she didn't try…"

"No. She didn't." The Doctor turned to look at Hermione. "He has got to know her," he said quietly. "His mother, I mean. It's no coincidence that your timeline latched onto hers. You're very much alike."

"I think I like that," said Hermione. She continued to watch the crying child until a rumbling motorcycle was heard overhead. Then, realizing that her time in this era was over, she took the Doctor's arm and disappeared into the night.


	9. Omens

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **Not going to talk much about this chapter. It definitely isn't the end of my story though.

**Omens**

Hermione sat on the deck of the TARDIS, staring quietly into its heart while the Doctor sat nearby, staring at her. "Are you ever going to brighten up?" he said finally. Hermione jolted, turning to look at him.

"Sorry," she muttered, leaning her cheek on her palm. "I just keep thinking about…" she trailed off, the words not needing to be said. She hadn't been able to get Lily Potter off her mind since seeing her. "I need to go home," she said finally, closing her eyes.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Home?" he said after a long moment. "You mean…for good or, do you mean…" He stopped himself, taking a deep breath. "It's for the best anyway," he said quietly, and in one smooth movement had moved toward her, pulling her to her feet. He pulled her into a tight hug, leaning his head against hers.

Hermione fought off the stinging of tears in her eyes. "I wish I could travel with you forever," she said.

"You know what? So do I," said the Doctor, leaning back so he was looking into her eyes. "I just wish we'd have had longer. It just doesn't seem like it was enough."

Hermione laughed, wiping the tears out of her eyes. She moved out of the Doctor's arms, standing at the ready in front of the TARDIS console for what she was certain to be the last time. She moved her hand to the controls, pausing. "How about it?" she said. "One last go, Doctor? Let's fly her home."

The Doctor smiled. Without saying a word he joined her at the console, and with a blur of sound the TARDIS was jolted through time.

Then, out of nowhere, everything went dark. "What?" said the Doctor from somewhere in the shadows. Hermione groaned in reply, having been thrown several feet backwards. The lights flashed back on and she sat slowly up, rubbing her hip.

"Of course," she said, rolling her eyes as the Doctor scrambled to see what was wrong. "So where did we end up Doctor?" said Hermione as she got to her feet.

The Doctor was squinting at the readout on his machine, frowning. "I don't believe it. I can't believe it," he said. "What?"

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"We're nowhere," said the Doctor, digging in his jacket until he pulled out a pair of dark plastic-framed glasses and leaning forward continued to examine the display.

"Nowhere?" said Hermione. "What do you mean nowhere?" asked Hermione.

"Just…nowhere," said the Doctor. "Open the doors, have a look."

Glancing at him suspiciously, Hermione moved to the doors and pulled one open, poking her head outside. They were in pitch blackness. She reached out with one hand and was overcome with the sensation of complete and freezing cold. She yanked her hand back in and took a step back, slamming the door behind her.

"Is it a void, or…"

"I don't think so. Nothing that dark and terrible," said the Doctor, moving past Hermione. He pulled open the door, glancing outside. "Just dark," he said with a sigh.

"All right, so how do we get out?" said Hermione.

"We don't," said the Doctor. "I don't even know how we got in." He continued to stare into the darkness. "We're going to need help," he said when he finally closed the door. He turned to look at Hermione, seeing for the first time the look of terror on her face. "We're going to be all right. More importantly, you're going to be all right," he said

"And how can you possibly know that?" said Hermione.

"Because it isn't time for me to die yet," said the Doctor. "And so long as I'm alive, Hermione, not a single thing is going to happen to you."

He moved away from her and toward the console again, leaving Hermione stunned and staring at him. "What do you mean by that?" she said finally, moving after him. "It isn't time for you to die yet? Then you mean you know when you're going to die?"

"Ah." The Doctor glanced up, running a hand through his hair. "Sort of," he said. "Kind of. Well, it's not really dying," he said. "At least…I hope not. You never know when you're luck is going to run out," he said.

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "So this is what you've been going on about? All these…cryptic things you've been saying? The reason you've been trying to get me to go home?" she said.

"Ah…yeah. Possibly," said the Doctor.

"So what, was this a prophecy?"

"Listen, Hermione, there's a reason I didn't want a new companion," said the Doctor, suddenly turning to face her. "It's not just hard on me when I go. It's hard on the others, too. They get used to one daft old face and suddenly…" he waved his hands. "Everything changes. And it's coming soon," he added.

Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder. "How soon?" she said.

Suddenly the TARDIS seems to come to life. "She senses something!" said the Doctor. "She's trying to get us out of here!"

"You still don't even know where here is!" said Hermione, stunned.

"Doesn't matter where 'here' is if we can get out!" said the Doctor. "Hold on, Hermione, we're off! Allons-y!" he said. He did something to the controls, and Hermione shrieked as the largest jolt she'd ever felt coursed through the entire ship, transferring some of the energy to her. Then all of a sudden they were moving. "Wait! No, no, no, no!" the Doctor was saying.

"What is it?" asked Hermione.

"We're about to crash," said the Doctor.

"Into what?" said Hermione.

"Into whatever it was that pulled us out," said the Doctor. "Get ready, Hermione. It's coming in three…two…"

Hermione screamed as the ship was rocked. "Oh, this can't be possible," the Doctor was saying. "Hold on, I've got to make some emergency adjustments to the shield…"

"What the bloody hell is going on?" asked Hermione. The TARDIS was still rocking and she felt as if she was going to be sick. The Doctor didn't answer her until, suddenly, everything went still. "We've stabilized," he said.

"What did you do?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," said the Doctor. "I didn't do it." He turned away from the console just as the front door swung open.

"You better be lucky I was passing by. What were you thinking, flying straight into a pocket universe like that? Which one of you am I dealing with?" a young man was saying. Hermione and the Doctor both stared at him.

"Oh boy," said the Doctor.

"What's going on?" asked Hermione. The young ma suddenly turned his attention on her, frowning. He had deep set eyes and a swoop of dark brown hair over a stern face. In a tweed jacket and bow-tie he looked impossibly like an oxford professor.

"Hello," he said. "I don't remember you." Then he turned his attention on the Doctor, putting out his finger. "Now you, you I remember. What I don't know is why I just had to fish you out of a nothing space." He jabbed him in the center of the chest as if he were admonishing him.

"Well I…I…" The Doctor stammered, staring into the eyes of the younger man. "Now hold on, why are you drilling me?" he said. "You know as well as I do what happened," he said.

"I don't know anything about it," he said. "Must have wiped my memory." He sniffed delicately.

"Well that was a bit stupid," said the Doctor.

"I don't know, you're the one who did it!" said the other man.

"Could somebody please tell me what's going on?" said a young woman from the doorway. She was pale, with bright red hair. "Oh!" she said, catching a glimpse of the Doctor. "Who's your friend, Doctor?"

"No, Amy. Don't even think it," warned the man in the bow-tie.

The girl rolled her eyes, striding onto the deck of the ship. She was staring at the center console as much as she was the Doctor standing next to it. "Looks a bit like the TARDIS. I thought there was only one?" she said.

"The TARDIS?" said Hermione, eyes widening. Hermione smacked the Doctor on the arm. "You change?" Hermione hissed. She pointed at the other man. "You don't mean…"

"Ah," said the Doctor, shaking his head in wonder. "Meet…well, me," he said. The other Doctor smiled, saluting Hermione.

"So there's two of you?" said Hermione. Amy was staring at the Doctor with raised eyebrows, as if appraising him.

"Well, only one," said the Doctor. The Other Doctor smiled.

"Things like this aren't supposed to happen," he said helpfully. "It's very rare when they do. And very, very dangerous."

"So we should go. Like, now," said Hermione.

"Ah…" the Doctor began to stammer. "Bit of a problem with that. The Nothing Space is still trying to pull us in. And the TARDIS can't pull away from it. Well, our TARDIS," he added.

"What have you got that it wants?" said the Other Doctor, leaning forward to stare into Hermione's face.

The Doctor was staring at him. "So," he said finally. "Are you next?"

The Other Doctor glanced up. "Ah…right," he said. "Amy, can you do me a favor and…not be here?" he asked.

"Are you mad?" said Amy. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Neither am I," said Hermione.

The Doctors both growned in unison. "Companions," said the Other Doctor, almost as in disgust.

"I know what you mean," said the Doctor, eliciting glares from both Hermione and Amy.

"In answer to your question," said the Other Doctor after several uncomfortable moments, "Yes. I'm next. Not too far off, actually. Kind of miss the sneakers, they were good for running," he said conversationally, leaning back with his arms crossed.

"I always wondered how I'd look in a bow-tie," said the Doctor. "I mean, it wouldn't look good with this face. I'm too foxy. But it suits you," he added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" said the Other Doctor.

Hermione coughed and both Doctors turned to stare at her. "Just thought you ought to know," she said, "We're moving." The Doctors both jumped up. The lights suddenly began to flicker.

"No, no, no!" the Other Doctor shouted. "We're both being pulled in!" The lights flashed out again. Hermione felt a hand reach out and grab hers and suddenly she was being pulled off in another direction. "You come here," said a voice, "We need to get out of this now!"

The ship rocked and a door slammed. Hermione skidded to a stop, realizing that she was now standing in a much wider space docked with a smooth floor. "Where am I?" she demanded. She heard an exclamation and then suddenly the ship rocked again, the lights flashing back on. She found herself standing in the interior of another ship, the tweed-jacket of the other Doctor being thrust into her arms.

"Amy, get back. This is going to be extremely dangerous."

"I'm not Amy," said Hermione. The Doctor barely seemed to notice. He was doing something to the controls and didn't even turn her way, mumbling to himself as he did something to the display. Hermione cautiously turned around, seeing that the door to the other TARDIS—her TARDIS—had been firmly sealed. "Doctor," she said quietly, panic beginning to rise in her chest.

"Hold on, can't you see I'm busy?" he said.

"Doctor!" Hermione shouted. The Other Doctor suddenly froze, turning slowly around.

"No," he said, as if seeing her for the first time. "No, this isn't right."

"No," said Hermione. "It isn't."

"You aren't Amy."

"I am aware of that," she said.

"I don't know who you are," he said. "I still want to know where you came from."

"Straight from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," said Hermione, watching his face in an attempt to see if he was joking or not. She was struck suddenly by the realization—even though she had already known—that this man was the same man that she had spent the better part of the last several weeks, or whatever they were now, traveling with, though he seemed much altered. In appearance as well as demeanor.

"Witches aren't real," said the Other Doctor after a long moment. "Well…I mean, they are, but not like you. No, no," he said finally. "I can't deal with this right now. One thing at a time. Harriette…"

"Hermione."

"Hermione, come here. I need you to do exactly as I say. If I know myself…and I know myself pretty well…I'm going to leave a signal…"

"A signal?" said Hermione.

"A-HA!" There was a sudden beep from the console and a series of numbers and coordinates appeared on a screen. "You need to read this off to me," said the Other Doctor, "starting with the first number, reading slowly, starting…now."

Hermione without question did as he said. She felt the TARDIS rock, and then suddenly realized that they were moving again. There was a loud cracking sound, and then a series of shifts that she recognized as the TARDIS beginning to move through space once more. She reached the end of the page and stopped reading, listening as the sound of the TARDIS landing filled the air. "The Doctor…I mean, my Doctor, he left instructions for you," said Hermione.

"Ah, you're a clever one," said the Other Doctor approvingly. "The only way out was to have the two TARDIS's moving at exactly the same time, in exactly the opposite direction."

"The opposite direction?" said Hermione in shock. "You mean…"

"Ah…" The Other Doctor froze. "Yes. I didn't think you'd like that," he said with a small, guilty smile.

"And what about Amy?"

The Other Doctor smiled again, pointing at the readout on the screen. "Coordinates," he said as a series of numbers flashed up. "Read them out for me, will you?" he said. Hermione glared at him, but did as she was told. The TARDIS was off again, and when the Other Doctor opened the door an angry looking redhead was glaring at him.

"I want to know who the hell that was?" she said, storming into the TARDIS. "And what sort of thing just happened? One minute we're with Winston Churchill…"

"You what?" said Hermione in astonishment.

"Now, girls," said the Other Doctor.

"And who's she? Old girlfriend?" said Amy, glaring at Hermione. "Kind of brown and bushy, don't you think?" she said with an injured sniff.

"She's brilliant, whoever she is," said the Other Doctor. "And, unfortunately, I don't see a way of getting her back to me…him…oh, whatever," he said after a moment.

"Oh," said Hermione, for the first time realizing the full implication of what was being said. She sat down right where she was standing, letting the grief hit her. Though she had already decided she had no other option but to return home, Hermione couldn't help but be overcome by the realization that she would never see him again. "Right," she said again after a long moment. "Then I guess, if you could just drop me off," she said, smiling a little sadly.

"I'm really sorry," said the Other Doctor. He reached out and, awkwardly, patted her on the shoulder. "Whoever you are," he added, shrugging at Amy over Hermione's shoulder.

"Just take me back to London, right around Diagon Alley," she said. "Just about 2005," she added.

The Other Doctor nodded, and with a gesture to Amy that could be assumed to mean 'be quiet' they were off once more. "I just can't figure it out," said Hermione. "A pocket universe? Another one?" she said out loud. "I wonder if it could be connected to the veil."

"What veil?" said the Other Doctor.

"Oh, nothing," said Hermione distantly. "No, wait. Assuming that you found a portal into another dimension…a pocket universe, as you called it, would it be safe to assume that this same portal could lead to several different worlds? Hypothetically?" he added.

The Other Doctor stopped what he was doing. "What?" he said quietly.

"Just wondering," said Hermione.

"Have I been messing around with parallel worlds again?" he said, half-speaking to himself. "I can be so daft sometimes…"

"Doctor," said Amy. This brought his attention back and he looked directly at her. "I think Hermione has something to say."

"No, I don't," she said, now standing. "Just take me back home."

"Are you certain?" he said.

"Absolutely," said Hermione. "Take me back to the year 2005, please. It's time for me to go home."

The TARDIS appeared right outside the Leaky Cauldron. Hermione waved goodbye to the Other Doctor and Amy, feeling a twinge of sadness in her heart. She couldn't understand several things about her situation, least of all why this new Doctor seemed to have no recollection of her at all. Could it be that something had happened when they were separated? No, that was impossible, she thought.

It also hurt that Hermione realized the Doctor could easily have found a way to retrieve Hermione. She supposed it was for the best, although knowing she'd never see him again was another thing she wasn't certain yet that she could live with. She stepped through the doors into the pub, eyes widening as she entered an immaculate room with wide, cozy chairs and a glistening mahogany bar. "Hermione!"

Hannah Abbott was staring at her, face pale. "What is it, Hannah?" said Hermione. "Is something wrong?"

"You…you!" she stammered.

Hermione took a step away from the counter. Something, she realized suddenly, was very wrong.

"You're alive!" said Hannah. "And you look exactly the same! When did you get back? Oh, I can't believe it's really you!"

Hermione smiled awkwardly. "Right, Hannah," she said. "Would you happen to know where Harry is? I really need to speak with him."

"Why, he's with Ginny and the baby, of course you'd know that," she said.

"What?" said Hermione. Now it was her turn to be stunned. "Oh, no," she muttered. She backed away. "Where's…I mean…where is he, Hannah?"

"At the house! In Godric's Hollow," said Hannah. She frowned when she saw Hermione pale. "Do you need a drink? You look ill. Something's wrong."

"No! Just…tired," said Hermione. "I better go see him," she said, shaking the fog out of her head. She took a step back and, almost without thinking, apparated straight to Godric's Hollow. She found herself standing outside a house that wasn't too far from where she had not too long before seen Lily and James Potter die. She began to walk up to the door, hesitating for a moment at the start of the walkway.

"How much did I miss?" she asked herself as she stared in shock at the little house. Her lips curved into a smile as she saw the small metal plate that stood in the place of a house number at the side of the door. A small lightning bolt had been etched onto it. Steeling herself, she walked straight up to the door and knocked.

There was a long pause and a little rustling. "I'll get it!" a man shouted. Hermione felt her heart jump, and when Sirius Black opened the door she squeaked in excitement and threw herself into his arms.

"Hermione! I always knew you'd show up someday!" he said, squeezing her tightly.

"Tell me, Sirius," Hermione whispered. "How many years has it been?"

Sirius' eyes widened. He hugged her again and released her. "Five," he said gently, and the words had barely registered before Harry appeared before her, grinning madly and running forward to take her into his arms.

"Here she is! I told the Minister not to declare you dead!" he said.

"I…Harry, I…" Hermione choked back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Instead she took him by the hand, glancing at the gold band on his finger. "You're married," she said, laughing a little.

"Three years," he said proudly. "Tell me though, are you okay? You look…you look exactly like you did the last time I saw you."

"Harry, it hasn't been that long for me," she whispered in a panic. "Not even a month, perhaps, it all went wrong…and the Doctor, oh now he's gone, for good."

"Oh, Hermione," said Harry. He was staring at her when Ginny appeared, a small boy with a thick shock of black hair cradled in her arms. Harry smiled again, taking his son as Ginny shrieked and ran forward. The two girls hugged for a moment.

"Oh, I can't believe how much I missed," said Hermione.

Harry smiled. "Tell me, are you home for good now?" he said.

Hermione shrugged. "It looks like it," she said. "Anyway, I'm certain it's for the best."

She saw the look that Harry shared with Sirius and did her best to ignore it. The last thing she needed was her best friend feeling sorry for her. "Where's Ron?" she said suddenly.

"Ah…well," said Harry. "He's with the veil. It's sort of his permanent post. He's in Cardiff."

"Cardiff, Wales?" said Hermione. "I'm sure he's thrilled with that," she said.

"Actually, he doesn't half mind it," said Harry, a small smile coming over his face. "He actually volunteered for the job."

Sirius snickered, and Hermione turned her attention on him. "Why is that funny?" she asked.

"Oh…no particular reason," said Sirius.

"It's not our place to say anything, seeing as Ron hasn't exactly said anything," warned Harry, giving Sirius a pointed look.

"All right," said Hermione. "Spill."

Harry exchanged a long look with Sirius, and then with Ginny, before Ginny herself leaned forward and whispered something in Hermione's ear.

"WHAT?" she shrieked, clapping a hand over her mouth as the baby wailed. The three of them burst out laughing.

"It's good to have you back," said Harry. "Come on, let's get you settled in. You can meet James, and then we have a lot of things to discuss."

Hermione smiled, clasping her hand over the letter she still had buried in her coat pocket. "I have something to show you, too," she said.

Their discussion lasted far into the night, and far after Ginny put James to rest and she and finally Sirius excused themselves, leaving Hermione and Harry alone in the sitting room in front of a roaring fire. "I still don't know how I could have missed so much," she said. "It's like there's an emptiness, right here…"

"Are you sure that's because of this?" said Harry pointedly. His mood was more solemn now that it had been before and he reached out to take Hermione's hand.

"I don't know," said Hermione. "Harry…" She paused, reaching out to touch his face. "When things were ending with Ron, did you ever wonder if…I mean, it's impossible now, but…"

"Did I ever wonder if we'd end up together?" said Harry.

Hermione sighed and released his hand, sitting back. "I guess so," she said. "When we were in school I was so torn. I loved you but I couldn't handle the thought of losing you…as a friend, much less a…you know," she said, blushing suddenly.

"I guess I do," said Harry.

"If I had asked you…five years ago for you…if you'd go with me and the Doctor, would you have gone?" she said. "I wanted to. I really did."

Harry seemed lost in thought for several minutes. Finally he smiled, shaking his head. "No," he said with finality. "My place is here."

"That's what I thought. But you'd have wanted to," said Hermione. "You'd have wanted to go to places and times where Harry Potter was just a name, a man with a scar. You'd have wanted the adventure and the danger, knowing that somebody else was there to see that the world was safe. And you'd have wanted to be with me," she said.

Harry nodded. "I won't say it isn't true," said Harry. "But I'd already fallen in love with Ginny. She's the one now."

"I've missed a lot," said Hermione, laughing silently. She leaned forward, kissing him lightly on the lips. The spark was there, buried just beneath the surface. But it refused to leap up, to grab them as it might once have. "Does she know?" asked Hermione, glancing upstairs.

"Of course she does," said Harry.

"You're lying," whispered Hermione.

"Of course I am," said Harry. "She's still a Weasley by blood."

Hermione laughed, wiping the tears away. "I'm all alone, aren't I?" she said. "Don't say no," she added when Harry started to speak. "It's not the same. It can never be the same. But I can't wish it didn't happen," she added. She stood up, picking up her jacket. "I'll be back, Harry, I promise. But there's something I need to do," she said.

Harry nodded. Hermione left the house, and with a loud crack found herself standing outside a large house. There was a warm breeze, very unlike the wintry chill she'd just experienced. She had never been here before but had devoted herself to the memory of it. She put her hand on her wand, and moved toward the window.

Just inside her parents sat at their kitchen table. Her parents who were no longer her parents, who no longer remembered her existence. With one spell she could bring them back, she thought miserably. And yet she had never been able to do so. She thought of the time she had missed with them, all because she had thought it was in the greater good to let them think they had no daughter named Hermione Granger, no child that was a witch.

She knew that it frightened them…not that she would hurt them, but that her life would hurt her. She continued watching, and just as she was about to whisper the incantation that would set things right a little girl rushed into the room.

"Jean!" the older woman laughed, taking the girl into her arms. She looked like she could be no older than six or seven, a small child with bushy hair and a wide, buck-toothed smile. Hermione felt a hitch in her chest as she watched the girl crawl into the woman's lap as she herself had done, years before. It was their daughter, she knew immediately, her own sister.

"Can you read me a story?" she asked.

"What would you like to hear?" asked the woman.

Hermione closed her eyes, turning away from the window. She moved instead to the door, hesitating before she knocked. After several moments a mild-looking man appeared, staring blankly at her. "Hello, miss? Can I help you?" he said.

"I…wrong house," said Hermione. She turned away before her father could see her tears and ran away into the shadows before she apparated again.

Did nobody remember her? She felt as if her very life had been torn out of the pages of history, as if she herself were nothing. The Doctor had abandoned her, Harry had moved on to a new life that didn't need her, and even her parents now had a replacement…the child they had always wanted. A child, Hermione hoped, would remain a muggle, for their sakes.

She found herself standing alone on a street in the middle of muggle London. "What am I doing here?" she mumbled to herself. She shoved her hands into her pockets and began to move along, bumping suddenly into a tall, thin older woman with dark hair. "Sorry," she stammered, picking up the item the woman had dropped. All of a sudden a light flashed nearby.

"Sensors indicate the girl is the source of the disruption," came a high, tinny voice. Hermione stepped back, looking into the shadows. A small, metallic object in the shape of a dog was standing there.

"K-9?" said Hermione in shock. "Sarah Jane?" she gasped, and without thinking she threw her arms around the shoulders of her long lost godmother.


	10. Loaded Deck

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **I just got back from my yearly pilgrimage to the anime convention! Went this time with my best bud, who dressed quite charmingly as 11, his wife (who made a decent Amy Pond) and went myself first as River Song, and shedding my glasses and Sonic Screwdriver later to don the 16 foot scarf I knitted to be the 4th Doctor. The reaction we got was wonderful, we met lots and lots of other great Who fans, and exchanged a few e-mail addresses and an invitation to another con in September. Should be loads of fun! I can't wait.

**A Loaded Deck**

Hermione sat at the wide kitchen table, hands wrapped around a steaming mug of tea. Across from her sat Sarah Jane Smith, a woman who she hadn't seen since she was ten, and beside her was a tousle-haired boy of fourteen. Beneath the table, in rest mode, was the robotic dog K-9. The four of them were silent as she nervously sipped her Earl Gray, until finally Sarah Jane reached out, putting her hand on Hermione's.

"I'm sorry. I'm trying to be patient here, but there are some things I need to know," said Sarah Jane, eyes wide with concern.

Hermione nodded. "Go ahead," she said.

Sarah Jane took a deep breath, withdrawing her hand and twining them together on top of the hard oak. "Right. Well first things first, I should probably tell you that I know you're a witch."

"Ah," said Hermione.

"And I'm not technically your godmother," she added. "It's an honorary title, really. You see, I heard about the incidents at your primary school and traced them back to you."

"I see," said Hermione. She sat the mug back down on the kitchen table. She glanced up at Sarah Jane, feeling the longing for her parents intensify in a way she had tried to ignore for the better part of the last several years.

"I already knew about the magical world. For the most part, I try and leave it alone," she said. "My concern is…well…more alien, if you catch my drift."

Hermione very well knew what Sarah Jane was talking about, but for the sake of recent events that were still a little too fresh to let on to she decided to let that one go. "So what made you get involved with me?" said Hermione.

Sarah Jane sighed. She picked up her own cup of tea and sipped gingerly at it as she collected her thoughts. "I suppose it was because, in a way, you reminded me very much of myself. You were eight, remember? And you had it all figured out before I ever met you. You _knew_ you were a witch. And you were so proud of it. In a way I felt it my responsibility to make sure it never stopped being…well, magical."

"That can't be all," said Hermione. She leaned forward, eyes meeting with Sarah Jane's. "Tell me the truth."

Sarah Jane's lip quirked into a half-smile. "Well, if you must know, I once met a girl named Lily Evans. She told me a very interesting story about a time-traveling witch named Hermione."

"Do you believe in time-travel?" Hermione asked.

The young boy gasped, a sound that made Sarah Jane glance over at him with concern. "I do," she said finally.

Hermione sat back, taking a deep breath. "I met a man," she said. "It was barely six months ago, by my time, but five years ago by the rest of the world's. The Doctor."

Now it was Sarah Jane's turn to gasp. She sat up, staring at Hermione. "You didn't!" she said, hand on her heart.

"You know him?" said Hermione.

"Oh, indeed," said Sarah Jane. "I traveled with him, oh, a long time ago now. And not so very long ago, as well," she said.

"A small world," said Hermione.

Sarah Jane shook her head. "No, Hermione. There's no such thing as coincidence, especially not where the Doctor is concerned. There's got to be more to this…although what there is I'm beyond the ability to tell you."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," said Hermione. "We've parted ways, so to speak. I doubt I'll ever see him again."

A few thousand light-years away, the Doctor was staring sullenly at the coat rack next to the TARDIS door. One of Hermione's official robes was hanging from it, swaying gently with the movement of the ship. "She's better off," he said sullenly. He jumped up suddenly, picking up the robe and swinging the door open, preparing to pitch it out.

He stopped himself, staring down at the swatch of black fabric. With a sigh he closed the door back, returning the robe to the rack.

"What's the use of trying to go back for her?" he said aloud. There was no response from the empty ship, and he leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes. "It's going to be over soon," he said, again aloud. The echo of his own voice came back around to meet him.

There was a sudden beep. The Doctor moved away from the wall and glanced down at it. "Oh, no," he said slowly, staring at the anomaly in the readout. "I should leave this alone," he said. Then he grinned madly, spinning around the console as he put in coordinates, pulling at levers and pressing buttons. The TARDIS pitched wildly and he was once again propelled toward earth.

And, he hoped, to Hermione.

"So what can you tell me about the war?"

Hermione glanced up at Sarah Jane. "What do you know about the war?" she asked.

"Mostly that it was a two-parter," she said.

A little over a month had passed since Hermione first arrived on Sarah Jane's street. Though it would have been easy enough to go back to the Ministry and fight for her old job, Hermione hadn't quite had the heart to explain away a multi-year disappearance. So instead, she had joined Sarah Jane in her investigations. They were, at the moment, in the library, poring over books in an attempt at rounding up her latest investigation.

"Did you ever hear about the boy named Harry Potter?" asked Hermione.

"I knew a James Potter," said Sarah Jane. "And I'm supposing that Harry is the son of Lily and James…the one you told Lily would one day defeat Voldemort."

"How exactly do you know all this?" asked Hermione.

"I got to know the Order of the Phoenix very well in the old days," she said, sitting proudly upright. "I was sort of a muggle liaison, so to speak," she said. "I considered it my duty to be able to warn the rest of the world if we were in imminent danger."

"So you knew most of them?" asked Hermione, more than a little impressed.

"Oh, Lily and James certainly. Mostly Lily, actually, since she was born muggle. We had a bit in common. And Remus…a werewolf! How I wanted him to meet the Doctor," she said, smiling and laughing. "You know, most sources indicate there are at least three different sources of lycanthropy in existence here on earth. And the royal family show traces of one of them."

"No way!" laughed Hermione.

"Absolutely." Sarah Jane sat back, brushing the dust from her hands as she replaced a handful of books on an empty shelf. "How did that old wolf end up? I was quite fond of him."

"Ah," said Hermione. She was silent as she pulled down another book from a higher shelf.

"I see," said Sarah Jane.

"So then you must know Sirius?" said Hermione.

Sarah Jane dropped an armful of books onto the floor, yelping in surprise. Hermione took a step back. "What is it?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Sarah Jane, flushing. "Just a name I hadn't heard in a very long time."

"Hold on," said Hermione. She put the book back and moved over to Sarah Jane. "You know him, don't you?"

"What do you mean by 'know'?" said Sarah Jane. "I heard he went to Azkaban prison. Isn't that a death sentence for your kind?" There was an uncharacteristic bite in her voice that sent chills up Hermione's spine.

"Usually," said Hermione. "He escaped. Why?"

"No reason," said Sarah Jane. She took a deep breath, turning to face Hermione. "Oh, it was far too long ago and far too stupid of me. I had a…a thing with him."

"A thing?" said Hermione. Her mouth fell open in shock. "You and Sirius Black? That old dog!"

"It was a long time ago," said Sarah Jane. "And I'm not exactly proud that I planned to marry a traitor."

"You WHAT?" Now it was Hermione's turn to stumble over her words. She sat right down on the floor where she'd been standing. "I can't believe it! And he's not a traitor, far from it," added Hermione.

"You knew Sirius?" asked Sarah Jane.

"Of course I know him. I saved his life, twice," she said.

"Oh. Oh my," she said.

"I could send him a message if you'd like," said Hermione. "I'm certain he'd be happy to hear from you."

"That will not be necessary," said Sarah Jane, blushing. "I've had a few too many 'blasts from my past' lately."

"But you were going to marry him!" said Hermione.

"Who were you going to marry?" Luke came walking into the library, setting his backpack down on the large desk toward one side of the room.

"None of your business!" said Sarah Jane.

"In her defense, she didn't know he was an alien," said Luke to Hermione.

"That's not what we were talking about!" said Sarah Jane pointedly.

"You were going to marry an alien?" said Hermione.

"Enough!" Sarah Jane stood up straight, fisting her hands at her waist. "We will have no more on this subject. Hermione, I think the book you're looking for is on the fourth shelf under 'Alien Hybrids'. And Luke, don't you have homework to do?"

Luke rolled his eyes and left the room, while Hermione found it best to drop the subject while she dug out the book Sarah Jane had pointed out to her. "I don't know why you can't just meet him," she mumbled.

"Drop it," warned Sarah Jane. Hermione sighed. There were too many things that, just at the moment, she herself wasn't prepared to talk about. It was best to leave it alone.

For now.

"Can you get me that Resonating Postulator?" Jack stood up at the workbench, pulling the wires out of a large metallic device that was hanging from the rafters in Torchwood Institute. Ron yawned, picking up a thin disc covered in wires and handed it to him.

"Can't you get Gwen to help you with this? I have plans," said Ron.

"I'm busy!" shouted a female voice from the other side of the room. Nearby, Ianto Jones shrugged.

"I was going to go visit my godson," said Ron. This stopped Jack in his place, staring into the belly of the device for a long moment until, finally, he sighed. "All right," he muttered. "We'll work on this some more tomorrow," he said, tipping a wrench in Ron's direction as he whooped excitedly, dropping everything he was doing as he rushed off in the direction of the back room.

"That boy's going to get in trouble, one of these days," said Jack.

"If he spends enough time with you yeah, he will," said Gwen.

"Nonsense," said Jack, grinning. Gwen rolled her eyes just as Ron returned to the room.

"What's all this about?" asked Ron, glancing from Ianto to Gwen to Jack.

"Just talking about you, again," said Jack, clapping him on the shoulder. "Magic boy."

"I'm a wizard," sniffed Ron, raising his chin up a notch. "Don't call me 'magic boy'."

"What about Merlin?" piped up Ianto from across the room. "I quite like that."

"Why would you call me that?" said Ron, blinking in surprise. "That's like calling you King Henry or something."

"But King Henry was real," insisted Ianto. Ron stared at him for a moment, with Jack raising his eyebrows and shrugging along. "What, you mean he is real? I'll never get used to you," he opined. "Magic boy."

"Now, now girls, don't fight," said Gwen with a laugh. "Come on Ron, you'd better get headed on out. "

Ron waved at the three of them, when all of a sudden a loud siren blasted through the room, sending all of them crashing to the ground as the alien implements that filled the space began to vibrate wildly out of control. "What the hell is that?" shouted Gwen.

"Something's gone wrong!" said Jack. He began to move toward the display panel. Ron, who was a little closer to the monitor, managed to pull himself to his knees, whipping out his wand.

"Accio gravity accelerator!" he called out. A small metallic device came sailing into his hand and Ron pressed it to the floor, pressing a button. The device stuck, and Ron used it to pull himself up, repeating the process until he managed to reach the console. He tossed it back to Jack, and urgently began to look at the readout. "It's coming from the veil room!" he said, staring in wonder as the small monitor screen showed wisps of black shadow escaping from the arch.

"What the hell is going on?" said Jack, who had reached the screen and was staring at the same display.

"I don' t know. We've been studying that bloody thing for five years and still haven't got anything figured out," said Ron. "And the Department of Mysteries has been at it for even longer than that."

Jack didn't answer. He was staring at the veil, a look of horror on his face. "First the earth gets transported straight across the universe and then this," said Jack. "I think I'm ready for a vacation."

"Hold on, something's happening." Gwen and Ianto had managed to find their ways over and were staring at the veil.

"Something's coming out. Not those Cyberthings again?" said Ron.

"No." Jack swallowed nervously. "No, not Cybermen."

"How on earth is that possible?" said Gwen. Her eyes were wide. Now standing in front of them on the monitor were three men and a woman—near identical copies of themselves.

"Another late night?" Ginny came into the room where Harry sat at his desk, staring at the scrolls before him.

"Yeah. A lot of work to do," he said. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose and then, out of habit, rubbed at the old scar on his forehead. "Go on to bed without me," he said. "I don't want you to stay up for my benefit."

Ginny hemmed to herself, leaning over and kissing Harry on the top of his head. "Still no idea why Ron didn't show up?" she asked.

"Torchwood business, probably," said Harry. "I still don't know why he hasn't taken up an official membership with the Institute."

"Because that lot would be more prone to study him than anything," said Ginny. "Besides, after his little fling with Jack ended it would make things sort of awkward, wouldn't it?"

Harry flushed bright red. It was still hard to think about one of his best friends in the context of a _non-traditional _relationship, though he was the one who had done his best to encourage it in the first place. Not that Ron was admitting anything, anytime soon.

"He'll be interested in knowing Hermione's come back," said Ginny pointedly. Harry looked up at her, taking a deep breath.

"Do you still think…I mean, I know a lot has changed, but he really did love her," said Harry.

"He always will. But it's different now," said Ginny. "I sometimes think of the life we'd have had if she'd never gone off to…to wherever it is she went off to," she said. "It would all be different. I know that for certain."

"It would," confirmed Harry. He replaced his glasses. "I think—" he began, but the statement was lost. There was an urgent tapping at the window and Harry turned. A thick piece of paper folded up like an airplane was ramming itself against the glass. Harry opened it up and the parchment, now totally torn and bent out of shape, fell listlessly on the floor. Harry bent down and picked it, reading it twice before his face went white.

"I'm needed," he said simply. He opened his mouth, pausing. "I…I'm not certain how serious this is," he said. "It's about Ron."

"Then go," said Ginny. Harry nodded and, apparating in a flash, appeared on a lonely cylinder block in the middle of Cardiff. There were at least a dozen people milling around, and none seemed to have noticed that he'd just appeared out of nowhere. Harry barely had time to take notice of this when he felt the ground shift and begin to move beneath him, taking him downward into the earth.

As he approached the first level he heard the siren. The ground began to shake beneath him and he scrambled across the ground before he was pitched forward. Ron reached out and grabbed him by the collar of his robes.

"About time you got here," he said. "Look."

Harry glanced at the computer monitor. There were several figures on the screen. He shouted as the one towards the front turned, her face illuminated by the camera.

"That's Ginny!" he said in horror and amazement.

"And Ianto, and Jack, and Gwen and me," said Ron, pointing to more of the figures. "And look…that's you, over there. And Sirius."

"What the bloody hell is going on?" said Harry.

"I don't…wait," said Ron. They all looked to the monitor as another figure came stepping out of the veil. "Bloody hell. That's Hermione." He pointed to the woman who had just stepped out. She turned slowly and looked directly at the computer screen, reaching out with one hand. "I have to go," he said suddenly and began to turn when both Harry and Jack caught him.

"We don't know what we're dealing with here," said Jack.

"We should call her," said Harry. He was staring at the people on the monitor. "Are those doors sealed Jack?"

"For now," he said.

Harry nodded. "All right. I'm calling my people. You call yours," said Harry. Ron glanced at the both of them as they peeled off in different directions, finally deciding to take off after Harry.

"Are you getting the Ministry involved?" said Harry.

"No. We need an expert on that bloody veil," he said.

"And who were you thinking?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Who else? Sirius."

"We have an emergency." Sarah Jane knocked on the door to Hermione's room.

"Wha-?" Hermione looked up from her desk.

"At Torchwood. We need to go."

"What? Both of us?" she said in surprise.

Sarah Jane tossed Hermione her handbag. "Just let me grab my coat," she said. "Luke will be all right."

Hermione nodded and, slipping the bag over one shoulder, stood up. She waited for Sarah Jane until she came back into the room, extending one arm for Hermione to take. "Are you ready?" she asked as she gripped her hand. Sarah Jane nodded, and squeezing her eyes shut tight she apparated them both to Cardiff.

Both women shrieked as the ground suddenly began to shake beneath them. "What's going on?" asked Hermione.

"It's about that veil!" said Sarah Jane.

"The veil?" Hermione gasped. "What the—oh!" the ground rocked again. To her surprise, and dismay, people continued walking along without seeming to notice that there was anything going on. "Here, right here!" she said suddenly, noticing the spot on the ground where a perception filter had been placed. She pulled Sarah Jane over to it and they both began moving downward.

Hermione moved through the darkness and into the heart of Torchwood. The first thing she saw was Harry and Ron, along with an older man in a greatcoat, huddled around a television monitor. She darted over, ignoring the shaking ground. "What is this?" she asked.

"Something's come out of the veil. Look," said Harry, pointing at the screen. Hermione stared in wonder at the duplicates, her heart beginning to hammer a staccato in her chest.

"Hey, Hermione. Nice to see you again," said Ron.

Hermione looked over at Ron, who was staring at her owlishly.

"Pretty good. Given the circumstances," she added. "Hold on, is that me?" she said, pointing at her down double.

"Yeah. And she seems to be in charge."

"I don't get it," said Hermione. "What could be going on? It's not magical, it can't be."

"It's not alien. At least, not completely," said Jack. "Those people down there, they have traces of magic all over them."

Hermione spun round to stare at Jack, who shot her his most charming grin and extended his hand. "Hello, Captain Jack—"

"Now is not the time!" hissed Gwen, nudging him in the ribs.

They were all standing around debating when there was a loud noise from the lift and, all of a sudden, a loud barking. "Sirius!" shouted Harry, spinning around as an enormous black dog trotted away from the lift and toward Harry, becoming a man as he walked. Hermione glanced Sarah Jane's way and saw that her face had gone pale. Wisely she placed herself between the two of them, reaching back to squeeze her hand.

"Just hang on," she whispered, as Sirius strode over to the group.

"What is this?" he said. Sarah Jane shifted behind Hermione as Sirius came over, glancing into the monitor. Harry quickly apprised him of the situation. Sirius nodded slowly.

"So, there was more to the old veil after all," he said, scratching his head.

"But what?" said Jack. "We've been researching this thing for years and haven't found a damn clue about what's going on with it."

"I think this counts as a clue," said Ron.

"Nice going, Sherlock," said Ianto with a small agitated shrug. "I'd have never figured that out."

"No need to get testy," said Hermione. "Look, we just…" She trailed off when she took another glance in the monitor. The group of doubles was now in deep conversation. Hermione felt a tremor go through her when her own double stopped and glanced up, staring directly into the camera. She pointed her finger and started whispering something. Then, all of a sudden, the screen went blank.

"What's going on?" said Harry.

"They're planning something." Hermione took a deep breath and released it. "We need to figure out what we're going to do next. We need…"

All of a sudden there was a rushing, roaring sound that stopped every single person in their tracks. Hermione's eyes widened. Jack clapped his hands and hooted excitedly. Behind Hermione, Sarah Jane gasped and the rest all turned, looking for the source of the sound.

"What you need is a Doctor," said a familiar voice.

Ignoring the fact that she could barely keep steady on the moving ground, Hermione burst into a run that carried her straight across the room and into outstretched arms of the Doctor. "I knew you couldn't stay away," she said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in his jacket.

"I missed you to," he said, smiling. He allowed himself the indulgence of holding her for several moments, then released her. "Right! Now what's going on here?" he said, clapping his hands.

There was a sudden explosion from the depths of the holding cell and every light in the room went black. There was a brief pause, then a sudden barrage of whispers as four wands and two sonic devices went up in the air, filling the room with a faint glow. Hermione glanced over and saw Sarah Jane and Sirius staring directly into each other's eyes.

"Sarah Jane!" said Sirius. "What one earth are you doing here?" he said.

"No time for chatter," said Jack. "We have a horrible, potentially catastrophic disaster to avert." He glanced over at the Doctor. "Just like old times, eh?" he said with a wink.

The Doctor grinned and winked back, then pushed through the group and past a bewildered Sirius to the computers. He yanked open one of the panels, doing something with his Sonic Screwdriver. "It's been corrupted with high amounts of magical energy," he said. "Hermione, wand."

She handed it to him without question and he connected it to the Sonic Screwdriver, sending a burst of energy into the hard drive. After a few moments the screen flickered back to life and the veil was once again onscreen. "Oh no," he said. "This isn't good."

The entire center of the veil had gone black. "It's the nothing space," said Hermione. "It's…what? Spreading?"

"No," said the Doctor. "It's feeding. When you destroyed the holding chamber…the prison…it must have torn a hole into another of the parallel dimensions contained within the void. And it started feasting."

"So those doubles," said Ron. "They come from there?"

The Doctor froze. He slowly stood up and turned to stare at Ron. "Doubles?" he said. "What do you mean, doubles?"

"He means us, Doctor."

Unbeknownst to anyone, the door to the holding chamber had vanished. A woman that looked in every way like Hermione stood there, a bemused smirk on her face. The only difference between the two was that the entire surface of her eyes was pitch black, like ink. The Harry double stepped up beside her, and the Ron double came up behind.

"Who are you?" said the Doctor. "What do you want?"

"We want this world," said the Hermione clone. She pointed her finger directly at Hermione's heart. "And I want her."

"Sorry," said Hermione, "but you can't have me." She took a cautious step back so that the Doctor was holding onto her arms.

"Oh, but I wasn't asking," said the clone. Her finger remained pointed directly at Hermione's chest. All of a sudden Hermione felt a strong tearing sensation directly at her center. She gasped and fell to her knees. The Doctor started to grab her but she shook her head.

Everything went dark. When the light returned, for the second time, the Hermione clone had vanished, leaving the first kneeling on the ground. Harry knelt down, putting his arms around her. Then Hermione smirked. "You're next," she whispered, and in one swift motion threw Harry across the room.

"Look at her eyes!" shouted Gwen. "They're…they're like…"

"It feels so very good to be alive," said Hermione. She had embraced the darkness, and the world was hers for the taking.


	11. The Beginning of the End

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **One more chapter to go before the end of this story! I have everything written and ready to go, I just have to polish it and get it posted! So here we go, getting ready to finish things up.

**Beginning of the End**

"Oh no you don't!" The Doctor sprang forward, Sonic Screwdriver/Wand hybrid in hand, and pointed it directly at Hermione's temple. She shrieked in pain and fell forward into his arms, unconscious.

"What did you do?" said Ron.

"I turned her mind off, for a little bit," said the Doctor. "It'll keep that thing from taking over, for now."

"You mean it's still in there?" Harry shouted from across the room as he gingerly got to his feet.

"Absolutely. Here, take her," he said, shifting his weight and depositing Hermione in Jack's arms.

"She really is a cutie," said Jack, staring down at Hermione's sleeping face.

"That is really not appropriate, at all," gasped Sarah Jane. She darted over, placing a hand on Hermione's face. "Is she going to be all right, Doctor?"

"As long as my hearts are beating she will be," he said. "Now everybody, hold on. This may sting a little," he said. He held the screwdriver high in the air and, hitting the switch, a high pitched squealing filled the room. Suddenly it was accompanied by a bright light, and although everybody in the room was doubled over with the intensity of it they all could see that the shadow creatures that had gathered were shrinking back.

"Come on!" shouted the Doctor. "They're only immobilized, we need to get out of here!"

Everybody moved as a group toward the lift out of Torchwood Headquarters. As Sarah Jane moved toward it she felt a hand close over her own. "Sarah Jane," said Sirius breathlessly. "How…I mean…it's amazing to see you again.",

Sarah Jane paused for just a moment, turning so that they were standing eye to eye. "You're a bit of a surprise yourself," she said.

Sirius smiled. "You know, when this is all over, if…I mean, when we…oh, bloody hell, if I'm about to die again there's no way I'm leaving without doing this." He leaned forward, folding her into his arms and planting his mouth on hers. Sarah Jane started to protest and then, realizing that Sirius' reason was mostly sound, gave into the moment and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Not the time!" said the Doctor, moving quickly past. Then he froze, doubling back. "I thought you said there was no mother man after…" he started, then quickly shook his head. "Nope, no, definitely not the time."

After several minutes they were all standing out on the pavement in a Cardiff street. The Doctor knelt down, doing something to the lift to keep the creatures at bay. "It'll hold for less than thirty minutes," he said. "So we have to work out something quick."

"And how do you propose we do that?" said Jack.

"First things first, let's get Hermione into the TARDIS. She still has one of those things inside her. We need to extract it so we can figure out just what we're dealing with."

Jack nodded, and as a group everybody moved behind the Doctor. The blue police box stood just off to the side, looking as inconspicuous as it was possible for it to look on a street corner. The Doctor quickly snapped his fingers and the door swung open, and everybody followed him inside. Hermione was laid out on a low platform and the Doctor pulled open a panel on the floor of the TARDIS, withdrawing several gadgets that (correctly) appeared to have been pulled from every corner of the cosmos.

He attached several sensors to Hermione's face and chest, fiddling around with the controls of the machine as it began to make a loud screeching sound. After several moments there was a second loud whining. The Doctor shouted excitedly, and digging once again withdrew a mason jar which he moved underneath a large tube connected to the machine. A black cloud leaked out and, moving quickly, the Doctor sealed the jar shut, slamming it down nearby.

"There it is, the little bugger," he said, leaning down to stare at the creature. "Just as I thought. A Ryxach."

"A Ra-whatsit?" said Ron.

"Ryxach. Very rare, even the Time Lords had doubts they existed," he said. "Their entire race got sucked into a black hole, but rather than let themselves die off they evolved. Learned to feed off of the energy sucked into the black hole. Light, magic….time."

"So what the hell were they doing in the veil?" said Sirius.

"That veil is a prison, I've already said that," said the Doctor. "Different punishments for different crimes. It was positively peachy where you ended up," he said, "but I bet you'd have felt differently being trapped in eternal darkness for an eternity."

Sirius made a noncommittal sound, sliding his arm around Sarah Jane's waist. She glared up at him and took a step away, causing Sirius to look her way, then shrug, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"So how do we fight the Ryxach?" said Harry. "What do we do?"

"We send them back home, that's all we can do," said the Doctor. "If they stay here they'll feed and feed until there's nothing left, and there's no way to kill them."

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Ron.

"Nope," said the Doctor. He clapped his hands together then. "All right, boys and girls, gather around. I think I've got a plan. Well, sort of a plan. A bit of a plan."

He leaned in towards the others. "I've got to make a quick trip. I want Harry to come with me. Jack, you and your team stay here in Cardiff and monitor Torchwood. You'll start seeing the signs when those things are about to escape. Sarah Jane, Sirius…just get a room," he said.

Sarah Jane quickly looked down, realizing that Sirius had somehow taken hold of her hand without her realizing. She quickly grabbed it away, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air. However, a small smirk had come over her face. "After that, I need you to do a little research on the veil. Think you can get her into the Ministry archives? She's the best bet you have for finding something that doesn't want to be found. When you find what I need, leave the information…here."

"Sure thing," said Sirius, saluting the Doctor. He grabbed for Sarah Jane's arm and before she could protest they had apparated away. Jack, Gwen and Ianto excused themselves, leaving only the Doctor, Harry and Ron.

"So what do you want me to do? Stand here by the coat rack?" said Ron. Both Harry and the Doctor turned around as if they'd forgotten that he was there.

"No. I have a very important job for you," said the Doctor.

"What?" said Ron.

"Take care of her. No matter what happens, make sure that she's all right," he said, glancing at Hermione. Ron's face softened and he nodded.

"Yeah, of course," he said. He went over and knelt beside her, leaning down to whisper something in her ear that neither the Doctor nor Harry could hear.

_He still loves her,_ thought Harry with surprise. Even after…well, a few important changes in his life. It seemed sometimes that it was impossible to stop loving Hermione, and he very well knew that he did, even though he'd already made a life and a future with the woman that he had chosen. And a part of him knew that the Doctor loved her as well, though how much and just how was up for debate, as far as he was concerned.

"Let's go," said Harry, and the Doctor nodded.

The TARDIS jolted to life. After a few moments the Doctor threw open the door, reaching out to grab a handful of papers from an astonished looking Sarah Jane before slamming the door back closed.

"I know, bit rude," he said, rummaging through the papers, "but it's been a few days since I sent them to the Ministry, it'd disturb the flow of time if I'd settled in for a nice chat. Here," he said. "This is what I need! YES!"

He spun back around to the console and began making adjustments to the controls. They were moving again, and when the Doctor finally opened the doors back up they stepped out onto a thick, grassy field.

"Where are we?" said Harry.

"London," said the Doctor, grinning madly. "About twelve-hundred years before your time. We're going to witness the arrival of the veil. Fancy a show Harry?"

"We call to order this first great meeting of the grand Wizengamot." A tall man with bright red hair stood before a large group of men in ornate robes. He held up his wand and a shower of scarlet sparks rained down upon the group until their muttering and murmuring softened and, after a stern look from their leader, they fell silent. "Now, first order of business…"

"Excuse me!" the wide doors at the back of the room flew open and the Doctor strode in purposefully, Harry close behind. "Sorry, bit rude I know…I am being a bit rude, aren't I Harry?" said the Doctor suddenly, making a face. "Huh. Wonder if the next…"

"Sir, just who do you think you are?"

The Doctor pulled his psychic paper from his pocket, flashing it at the man at the podium. "Just a traveler," he said, putting the paper quickly away.

The man frowned. "Grand Lord Wizard…Tennant, you say?"

"Tennant?" Harry whispered.

"Well, I am the tenth," said the Doctor under his breath. Then louder, so that everybody could hear him, he said, "Yes, that would be me. I'm here to inspect the…well, the thingy." He coughed, shoving his hands into his pockets to hide his nerves. "The veil. It's very important."

Eyes widening, the man strode purposefully down from the podium, pulling out his wand so that it was pointed right at the Doctor's chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Harry. He pulled out his own wand and pointed it the wizard. "I am an Auror of the tenth degree. Look at the mark on my wand if you require proof."

The wizard stopped what he was doing and glanced down at the golden mark on Harry's wand. His hand tremored and, after a moment, dropped.

"I'm sorry, I had no idea. I was just…you just startled me," he said. He bowed low in front of Harry then, and when he rose waved his hand.

"This meeting has been canceled and will commence upon further notice. Go now, all of you."

Harry and the Doctor waited as the room slowly began to clear, the muttering and mumbling turning into an agitated roar as the crowd made their way out.

"Tell me again why all of a sudden you're mister big shot?" said the Doctor to Harry.

"Just one of the few things I remember from History of Magic," said Harry. "In ancient times Aurors weren't regulated by the Ministry. They were like…what's the muggle word? Mercenaries, or assassins, something like that. We don't use degrees to rank one another anymore, it's purely symbolic, but back…well, I mean now…the tenth order would be reserved for the strongest and deadliest of aurors."

The Doctor blinked. "Ah. So you're the deadliest man alive," said the Doctor, a bemused expression on his face.

Harry said nothing for a long moment. "I could be," he said finally. The Doctor seemed stunned, and lost for a response. They were silent until the room was completely empty and the red-haired man turned around on them.

"You inquire about the veil," he said. "Our unearthly gift, sent from the angels."

"Yes. May we see it please?" said the Doctor.

"Absolutely not. I'm sorry, no, not even you," he said, turning his attention to Harry. "The angels are with it now, guarding it still and making it ready for our use."

"The angels? What do you mean by angels?" said Harry. The Doctor put his hand up to silence him.

"No, no, hold on a minute. What do you mean by angels?" he said.

"The creatures that descended from the heavens with our gift. " The man slowly paced toward the Doctor and Harry. "They remain day and night within the heart of our stronghold, making ready the veil for our eventual use. They allow no one to see it, or them. All that say is that the oncoming storm will reach them…that this storm will open the gate."

Raising his head up, the Doctor looked straight at the man. "Then I must see them," he said. "I am the oncoming storm."

"I suggest you do as he says," said Harry, raising his wand threateningly. "Or do you want to see how I got this scar," he added, pointing at the familiar mark on his forehead.

The man gulped and, seeming suddenly resigned, nodded. "Come then, and see what you will," he said.

He led them through the doo r that opened up behind the podium. They entered into a dark labyrinth of stone. Harry immediately recognized the size and shape of the space as being what would one day become the Ministry of Magic as he knew it. He raised his wand, letting light erupt from its tip, and keeping close step behind the others observed every corner of the space for things he found familiar.

"You stole that from a movie," whispered the Doctor to Harry.

"Batman," Harry confirmed. "I always wanted to use that line."

"Do wizards really watch Batman?" said the Doctor with a bemused glance.

"Ones who grew up muggle do. I always wished I could put on a superhero suit and kick my cousin's ass. Then I got magic, so it was almost a fair deal."

"Silence, please," said the wizard. The Doctor lifted his eyebrows at Harry, who shrugged in reply. The continued along the halls for what seemed like ages until finally they came to the lowest corridor, marking the entrance to the space Harry knew as the Department of Mysteries.

"I will go no further," said the man. "Enter, if you wish."

"Thank you kindly," said the Doctor, with an imaginary tip of his hat, and with the man watching them they moved into the dark crypt that housed the thing the Doctor described as potentially the most dangerous artifact known to wizardkind.

Though there were some changes, Harry was able to follow an almost exact route towards the chamber of the veil. It was exactly as Harry remembered it. The stone seats, which he now knew would one day become a court of execution, were empty. Only two beings stood in the room. They were tall and transparent, their faces a blur. One of the shapes shifted suddenly upon the Doctors entrance, turning its ghostly face to meet his.

"You have arrived," it said simply.

The Doctor stood silent and still, hand in his pockets. "What do you want from me?" he said, his voice suddenly cold and full of a heretofore to Harry unseen menace.

"We require your assistance," said the creature.

"For what?"

The second creatures shimmered, and through the darkness Harry could see it moving toward the Doctor. "To open the way home." The voice was feminine, and Harry was struck by a sudden surge of pity.

"Ah," said the Doctor suddenly. He closed his eyes and a small smile crept over his face. "I understand," he said. "The veil, it's not a prison." His eyes opened. "It's a ship."

"What?" said Harry.

"This veil…what we call a veil…is a dimensional transporter. But you can't use it…why can't you use it without my help?"

"We require assistance," said the female of the pair. "We have no power."

"No power…" said the Doctor slowly. "No power…so you start by finding the strongest source of power on this planet…and what do you do? Why do you give it to…" his voice trailed off. "Oh, no. Oh you terrible, terrible things."

"What's going on Doctor?" said Harry.

"The prisoners. It feeds off of them. You put people inside…what is it, a fuel cell?" said the Doctor.

"The white chamber?" said Harry. The Doctor nodded.

"Yes," he said. "You keep them alive, for…eternity…and you use them to open up this branch of the dimensional transporter."

"We are trapped here if the veil cannot open. We were told that the oncoming storm would come, that he would…"

"And who told you that?" said the Doctor, wheeling around. "Who was the bloody idiot who told you I would EVER do a thing like that?"

The female shimmered, and seemed to flutter through the darkness until she was close."You did," she said.

All time seemed to stopped as the Doctor stared at the creature in bewilderment. "I…I what?" he said finally.

"You must open the path to our world. The history of these humans relies upon it. Our existence is an undisputed fact. You will help us." All of a sudden the figure moved close and Harry felt a wave of nausea, followed by a second wave of despair. He doubled over as the creature rose and loomed over the both of them. Harry groped for his wand, realizing that he had dropped it, and focusing every bit of energy he could on his happiest of memories he extended it.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he cried out. A bright silver stag pierced the darkness and the creatures screamed, moving back as it galloped once around the Doctor and then moved so that it was barring the creatures from coming any closer.

"They're Dementors!" said Harry in astonishment.

"Old friends, I'm guessing?" said the Doctor.

"You could say that," said Harry, taking a deep breath as his senses returned to him.

The Doctor stared at the creatures. "So that's what you want?" he said. "To invade this world and breed here? To imprison humans and suck away their hope and happiness? To feed from it?"

"It is our source," said the Dementor.

"No," said the Doctor, and he began to walk away.

"If you do not let us the Shadows will come."

"Those things at Torchwood?" asked Harry. "Do you have any clue what they are?"

"Oh, I have an idea," said the Doctor. "Sirius was lucky. His energy was strong enough that the veil chose to keep him healthy and mostly happy…sort of like a long term power supply. Think about it. Tens of thousands of people must have been cast into the veil. Even with the Cybermen there should have been more when we found them. What happened to the others?" He pointed at the Dementors. "They were sucked dry. Every fragment of them until all that was left was the negative space where they should have been. With enough time they were able to consume an entire parallel universe…the dark space where Hermione and I crashed.

"And nature abhors a vacuum," finished the Doctor.

"So they're feeding…trying to fill that space."

"When we destroyed the holding cell we must have destroyed the one thing keeping that world closed off…sort of a dimensional stopper."

"And if we don't help them now then my world will be destroyed before it ever began," said Harry.

The Doctor gritted his teeth, growling angrily. "Of course!" he said, gripping at his hair. He pointed at the Dementors. "Excuse me," he said, "I'll be right back. Harry…take me to the TARDIS."

Harry nodded, and taking the Doctor's arm he apparated them back to the blue box. "I'm sorry I can't take you home, but I'm going to need your help if I want to get this done," he said as he ran inside, flailing madly at the controls as an astonished Ron looked on. Hermione still lay unconscious where she had been. "But first things first, I'm getting that girl as far away from here as I can."

The TARDIS rocked madly, and after several moments landed. "Pick her up and get out of here!" shouted the Doctor. Ron nodded quickly and, taking Hermione in his arms, left the TARDIS. He slammed the door shut before Harry could see where she'd been taken. "Ready now, we're going back inside the veil," said the Doctor.

"When?" said Harry.

"It doesn't matter. Time doesn't exist in nothing, and that's where we're going."

The TARDIS shook now, even harder than it had before, and Harry was forced to hold on as tightly as he could to whatever he could find. The lights began to flicker and darken, and suddenly they were pulsing on and off. "What've you done?" said Harry.

"The reason the lights went off before," said the Doctor. "I can't bloody believe I didn't realize it. It's feeding off of her. The nothing. My beautiful TARDIS has enough power to annihilate this darkness once and for all. But I can't bloody let that happen," he added quickly. "Quick Harry, throw that yellow switch, over there."

Harry complied, and following the Doctor's instructions began working one side of the instrument panel as the Doctor worked the other.

"So what exactly are we doing?"

"Creating a failsafe!" said the Doctor. "I'm going to deposit just enough Huron particles into the heart of the nothing to keep it stable for the next thousand years or so. If I do it correctly…a-HA!" All of a sudden the lights of the TARDIS flared back to life and they were rocked once more. "We've collided!" he said gleefully. "Wonder who it is this time?" he said as he ran to the door and flung it open.

A tall man with dark, curly hair stood there, staring blankly at the Doctor. "It's you!" he said excitedly, grabbing at immensely long scarf draped around his neck. "My God, it's been a long time since I've been you! Oh, Sarah Jane would…oh my God, Sarah Jane!" he said as a young woman with dark hair peeked out from behind the Doctor, eyes wide in shock as she stared into the TARDIS.

"Do I get stupid?" said the man with the scarf, squinting at the Doctor.

"Oh, no, it's just…well, been a while," he replied, grinning madly.

"What's going on?" said Harry.

"Time is fluid here," said the Doctor. "Which works fine for me. I have to pilot the TARDIS here to recharge the Huron particles but the only way to escape the negative space is to create an equal and opposite reaction. So I just want around for another TARDIS to come along and…out we go!"

"Does this have something to do with those creatures we met, Doctor?" said the young girl.

"Everything!" said both men in unison.

The Doctor grinned madly. "Listen, it's very important that you do exactly as I write." He scribbled something down on paper and handed it to the man in the scarf. "You know of course that I now have to erase your memory of this encounter," he said once the man had read the instructions and nodded.

"By all means," the man replied. The girl's eyes widened, but before she could protest the Doctor had put her hands to her head and she fell over into his arms. The Doctor handed her over to the other man, and then with a similar action the man in the scarf suddenly appeared dazed. The Doctor pushed him back and slammed the TARDIS door closed, running over to his own console.

"You obliviated their memories?" said Harry.

"I had to, I know I don't know any of that. What a fun incarnation he was…Daleks of course, and Paris. And…ooh, Romana," he said, a small smile coming over his face. "Shame how I ended, bloody antenna and all. But, well, every song must come to an end," he said. "Ready Harry? Here…we…go!"

All of a sudden the TARDIS was propelled forward. Harry caught himself before he hit the floor. The Doctor was still at the controls, peering over the display. He suddenly grinned. "Gotcha!" he said.

"If I've worked it out correctly, every combination of possible meetings between my various selves has spontaneously occurred. It'll be enough to keep the veil from imploding until well after the world itself is gone forever. So…those Shadows should be neatly taken care of. Onward, to Torchwood!" said the Doctor.

"Is it over?" Jack stepped into Torchwood, looking around at the now empty room.

"It seems so," said Gwen.

Jack moved over and flipped on the monitor, looking at the still image of the veil onscreen. "The Doctor said it's taken care of now, for at least another thousand years or so."

"The Dementors will start dying off." Harry looked over at the screen. "The Doctor only gave the veil enough power to keep the negative space contained. Without the prisoners the portal between our world and theirs is closed forever."

Ron nodded from where he said. "The entry in Azkaban has already closed up. The Ministry says that all of the other known Dementor hotspots are disappearing, too."

"Dozens of ways in, all stemming from the veil. Wormholes," said Jack. "Ingenious."

"So where is the Doctor?" said Sarah Jane. She was standing beside Sirius, holding him closely.

"He's saying goodbye to Hermione," said Harry.

In a small house in Australia, a tall man in a brown suit watched as a girl with frizzy brown hair stood at a doorway, hand raised to knock. He began to walk away, but when he turned he heard the sound of footsteps on the gravel, steps which broke into a run. He turned and Hermione flew into his arms, burying her face in his chest.

"I can't leave you, I just can't," she said. "Not again. You mean too much to me."

"You could have died, Hermione. And I will. Soon. I won't be who I was anymore, and I'll have a new companion."

"But we can keep putting it off," said Hermione. "Really, we can."

He hugged her tightly to him. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, "but perhaps this is for the best." His hands moved up and into her hair, and suddenly he placed each palm at either side of her head. Hermione could feel him reaching into her thoughts, and before she realized what was happening she slowly starting to feel them being wiped away.

"No, no!" she cried out, except the sound of her voice was only in her head.

Then, all of a sudden, something inside Hermione began to fight back. The Doctor was jolted backward as something reached out of her and pushed him away. Hermione's memories snapped back to her and her eyes flashed open. "What was that?" she said in surprise. The Doctor was staring at her, mouth gaping. "You tried to erase my memories," she said accusingly. "Why did you stop?"

"I didn't stop," he said. "You stopped me. Oh, Hermione, I can't believe I'm going to say this but you really need to come back with me for a while."

Hermione grinned and ran to the TARDIS, flying eagerly through the doors. But before he followed her the Doctor stared up at the stars, both hearts beating madly in his chest. Because what he had felt snap at him hadn't been human, nor fueled by magic, but the consciousness of a Time Lady.


	12. Rise of the Time Witch

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **So, I've reached the final chapter of this story. I can't believe that I managed to actually finish one! There's most definitely going to be a sequel, and I hope to get it started very soon. It will be called A Doc, a Loony, and a Box, and I don't think you're going to need three guesses to figure out who it will be featuring. I hope that you all enjoyed this story, and I hope that you all feel compelled to read the next one! Thanks for all your kind reviews and thanks to all of you who favorited it!

**The Rise of the Time Witch**

Something was wrong. Extremely wrong. Just by the Doctor's demeanor Hermione was able to tell, although what that something could be was incomprehensible to her. She sat inside the TARDIS, watching him as he paced back and forth in front of the control panel without touching a thing, muttering to himself and occasionally turning to look at her as if she had suddenly grown a third eye or something. As if she were suddenly a different person.

It almost didn't matter, she considered, if it gave her more time with the Doctor. However, there was a part of her that somehow seemed aware that her time with him was coming to its inevitable conclusion.

It had for a while, of that much there was no doubt. But for some reason something kept drawing them back to one another, as if there were one more mystery to solve.

Hermione gripped her hands together, watching him as he paced. Finally, enough was enough. "Doctor," she said firmly. "Please tell me just what is going on here. I think I have a right to know."

"Just hold on a minute," he said, a little more irritably than she was used to. "I just need to work something out."

"You need to work what out?" she said. She stood, now moving toward the Doctor. "You tried to erase my memories but you couldn't," she said. "And it wasn't an act of benevolence. There's something keeping you from doing it. What is it, Doctor?"

He closed his eyes, turning around and slowly putting his hands on her shoulders. "I can't tell you. If I did…oh God, Hermione, there's so much at stake here and I'm not even sure this is something I should work out."

"You mean you're not sure that you want to," said Hermione with a small laugh.

The Doctor sighed. "Yeah. That too," he said quietly. There was a long silence in which neither of them moved. Hermione's thoughts were racing a mile a minute. "I need to ask you a question, and I need you to think hard, Hermione. The hardest you've ever thought about anything. When you were young, growing up, did you ever have a fob watch? Did your parents ever give you one, would you have had it around without ever really noticing it? Think hard now, please."

Hermione almost protested, but seeing the look of earnestness in the Doctor's eyes she nodded and concentrated. After several minutes she shook her head. "No. I mean, never while I was young. I have one now, it's tradition. Every witch and wizard receives a watch on their seventeenth birthday."

"Could I…I mean, may I see it?"

With a nod, Hermione removed herself from his grasp and reached into her coat pocket. Buried deeply, and rarely used, was the silver watch that she had carried with her all throughout the quest of the Horcruxes, and rarely seen but carried with her every day since. She handed it to the Doctor and he stared at it for a long moment, gingerly pulling it open.

His face fell when nothing happened, and then he closed his eyes, an odd mixture of relief and dissatisfaction coming over him.

"What is it?" said Hermione.

"Nothing," said the Doctor quickly. He turned his attention back to the watch, then frowned. "Or maybe something. You said you got this watch on your seventeenth birthday?" He waited until Hermione answered in the affirmative. "Is your birthday December 7th?"

"No."

"Then why is that date inside the watch?" said the Doctor. He showed it to Hermione.

"I…I never saw that before," she said. The engraving was miniscule, and hidden along the inside of the face. Before she could say anything else the Doctor was off, pulling up a scanner and pushing the watch underneath it. On a nearby screen the face of the watch appeared, magnified several times. Several more numbers suddenly appeared. Hermione gasped and the Doctor exclaimed loudly.

"Coordinates!" he said. "A location in space and a date. I think somebody is giving us directions," he said. He was about to start punching things into the console when he suddenly paused, turning slowly to stare at her. "Do you…I mean, this could change your life," he said slowly. "There's something about you that I just can't understand yet. But I can live with not knowing. If what we learn changes you forever…Hermione, you may never be what you once were."

Hermione was taken aback by the Doctors words. For the first time it seemed that there was definitely something he wasn't telling her, although what that was she couldn't tell. "Doctor?" she said quietly.

He shook his head. "I won't decide for you," he said. "This is something that affects you and you alone. You need to decide. Is it worth it to you? To know?"

Hermione was quiet for several moments. "I think…I think my life changed irrevocably the moment I met you, Doctor," she said finally. "Whatever has happened since that afternoon, in an office in my old school when I first met you, has been preparing me for this. Doctor…I need to know."

He nodded, and then grinned wildly. "Allonz-y, Hermione!" he said excitedly, then spinning around began hitting the dials and pulling levers until they took off.

When they finally landed it was Hermione who first peeked out the door. "It's my old neighborhood!" sh said in excitement, darting out the door. "Look, my house. And there's the sign for my parents' practice. They're dentists, you know," she said.

The Doctor stepped out after her, quietly tucking his Sonic Screwdriver away. He made a noncommittal humming sound, looking around. "So, why are we here? What on earth is going to happen today that…" He trailed off, suddenly looking down the street and breaking into a run.

"What is it?" shouted Hermione.

"This can't be right!" shouted the Doctor.

Hermione took off after him, catching up to him where he stood on the street corner, holding his hand to his head. "What is it?" she said.

"I sensed one. I felt them, standing right here. But that's impossible! Where did they go?"

"What did you feel, Doctor?" said Hermione. "Who?"

"A Time Lord," he said.

"What?" Hermione wheeled around so that she and the Doctor were face to face. "I thought they were all supposed to be dead."

"They are. Not supposed to be, they are all dead, I saw to that," said the Doctor, a hint of menace coming through in his voice. "So either I'm completely wrong, or I'm going mad. Or in all likelihood a combination of both."

Hermione exhaled slowly. "And this is somehow connected to me," said Hermione. "My watch, this date and time, whatever it was you sensed in…"

She trailed off. Suddenly everything that was happening made sense to her. "It's all about me, isn't it?" she said. "Everything that's going on is all about me. You sensed…you felt something in me. A consciousness that wasn't my own. A Time…"

"Don't say it," said the Doctor. "Don't even think it. Because if it's true it could change everything, not just for you and me but for the entire universe."

Hermione closed her eyes. All of a sudden she felt as if there were something inside her mind screaming to get out, but it was neatly closed away in the labyrinth of her thoughts. Her heart was racing as her eyes flashed open and she turned to stare at the Doctor. "We need to figure out what's going on," she said quickly.

With a shared nod the pair of them turned back around until they found the Granger residence once more. "No, not the house," the Doctor hissed as Hermione started towards the door. "We're here for an appointment," he said, pushing his way into the small enclosed office alongside the house. Hermione followed him into an older version of the office she had known so well as a child, gasping quietly when she saw her mother sitting at the reception window, smiling as she leaned over the sill to hand a young boy a balloon as he was carried away by his father.

"That's her," said Hermione under her breath. "And that's my dad," she said as a man in a white coat strode out of a door next to the window, glancing at the chart he held in his hand. "And there's me!" she gasped when she spotted a bassinet in the far corner of the office.

"Shh, don't go near the baby," said the Doctor when Hermione started to move forward. "Trust me, something very bad would happen if you did."

Hermione nodded, and took a step back and behind the Doctor. Together they began to move toward the desk. Peering around the Doctor's shoulder, Hermione looked at the crib. All of a sudden she squealed. "Frankie!" she said loudly. There was a rustle from the blankets and all of a sudden a furry face poked up out of the covers and there was a tiny yip as a small Yorkie bared its face.

"A dog?" said the Doctor. "But what about Hermione?"

"Hermione who? Can I help you?" said Mrs. Granger, staring pointedly at the Doctor and Hermione.

"Erm, sorry, thought I had an appointment, but I think I've been mistaken," said the Doctor, spinning around on his heels.

"Hermione who?" hissed Hermione when they were back outside on the street. "What's going on? I haven't been born?"

"How did you know about the dog?"

"He was our pet growing up. He passed away about a year before I went to Hogwarts," said Hermione.

"So definitely your house, your parents, your dog…your life. But where's you? Why aren't you here?"

"Maybe I'm…adopted? It'd make sense," said Hermione. "I mean, there's no history of magic on my father or mother's side, I've looked. I used to wonder, when I first went to Hogwarts…"

"Hermione. I'm going to ask you something very important," said the Doctor. "When you were little, besides the magic and all that, was there ever anything strange in your life? Anything that you might've forgotten…something just at the edge of your thoughts?"

"I…I'm not….I don't know," said Hermione. She tried to concentrate but every time she pushed it seemed that something was holding her back. She told the Doctor this and the concern on his face seemed to deepen.

"I think we need to spend a little time here," he said finally. "We were sent to this day because something happens here. Something important. Why don't we poke around a little and see what comes up?"

In a distant part of time and space, a young woman watched a cataclysmic eruption on a cold and barren moon. In seconds an entire star swallowed itself up, a light filling the space around her that was so white and blazing it would have destroyed anybody or anything else that saw it. When the light died and, after several moments, faded to black, the woman stood, taking a deep breath as she turned. In the darkness she was invisible. The only evidence that she had gone was the loud crack that reverberated through the weak atmosphere when she vanished.

When she opened her eyes again she was standing on a street corner in a suburb of London. Far down the street she saw a blue box. Her lips curved into a slight smile. After a few moments a tall man with messy brown hair, his lanky frame in a brown suit and overcoat, began running down the street after her, a girl in a black trench coat and with curly brown hair chasing after him. She turned on her heels, ducking into a shop and closing her mind off as completely as she could as the man neared.

Taking shallow breaths she moved toward the window of the shop, watching as the man looked around for several moments, speaking with the girl, before walking away again. It had been a close call, she thought with a sigh. It was imperative that everything went as it was meant to.

"Can I help you miss?" said an old man. The woman turned, realizing suddenly that she hadn't been alone for several minutes.

"Oh, yes, sorry," she said, moving nearer to the front counter. Rows and rows of gold and silver lined the shelves. The woman was about to excuse herself when she suddenly spotted something that made her breath catch. "That, can I see that?" she asked.

The man nodded, reaching into the case to withdraw a shining gold watch. He placed it in the woman's hand and she turned it over slowly, flipping it open to stare at the face. "I'll take it," she said, and before the man could say anything she had turned around and marched away, ignoring his protests.

She disapparated several streets away, sitting down to stare at the watch for a long moment before withdrawing her wand and placing it on the face of the watch. Gold lines appeared, etching several small numbers onto it, and then moving to the front she etched the name 'Hermione Jean Granger' onto it.

When the woman was finished she tucked the watch into the pocket of her dress. It was almost time.

She had lived a long life, and seen much that the universe had to offer. Now her time was nearing its end, and the Time Witch knew that it was her responsibility to see to the beginning of a new song. A new era.

"What are we waiting for?" said Hermione.

"Something strange," said the Doctor.

"Like what?" said Hermione, stifling a yawn.

"Like….that!" said the Doctor, jumping to his feet. Hermione clambered up after him, looking in the direction that he was pointing.

"What is that?" said Hermione.

"It's an anomaly."

The spot that he was pointing to was a wide, bright chasm that had suddenly appeared in the center of the wall in Hermione's childhood home.

"What does that even mean?" said Hermione.

"It means that something impossible has happened," he said. "And unless we fix it something incredibly bad is soon to follow. Come on, lets get to the TARDIS."

The pair broke into a run, not stopping until they reached the door of the blue box. The Doctor yanked at the door, almost falling forward when the door didn't open. "What the…" he started, yanking again. The door wouldn't budge. "Somethings locked me out!" he said. Digging in his coat, he searched for the key, and following suit Hermione searched her own pockets.

"Looking for these?" said a woman close behind them. They turned and saw a tall woman with sleek black hair standing there. She was wearing a short, red leather jacket and jeans, and in one hand held a pair of glittering golden keys.

"How did you get those?" said the Doctor.

"All in good time," she said. "For now you must stay grounded. The events that follow must happen in their own time. Don't be afraid," she said, her voice falling almost to a whisper. "Your end will be painless."

And with that she was gone. "What?" said the Doctor, face scrunched up in surprise. "How…I mean, what?"

"So…you don't know who that was?" she said.

"How would I, she's one of yours," he said. "A witch, I mean."

"I'm not sure about that," said Hermione quietly. "So…what exactly does it mean, she just wants us to wait things out?"

"I guess we'll figure out what that means soon enough," said the Doctor. "Meanwhile, let's just keep an eye on that hole in the sky. It's getting bigger by the minutes, and whenever trouble starts its going to start there."

Almost an hour passed before the first sign of the impending struggle appeared. The Doctor was sitting stone still, watching the sky, when Hermione felt her entire body suddenly go numb. She zoned out, as if the space around her was no longer real, and then coming back to herself spotted two figures walking down the street.

"What are they doing here?" said Hermione and the Doctor in unison.

At that precise moment the two figures across the street turned and spotted them. "My God, it's you again!" said the other Doctor, straightening his bowtie as he cut across the street and made his way over to them. Amy Pond simply stared in shock, first at the Doctor and then at Hermione, finally willing herself to follow the other Doctor over.

"What's going on here?" said the Doctor, staring at the next version of himself in shock as he took him by the shoulders, and gave him a kiss on each cheek. "And what the bloody hell are you doing that for?" he said.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," said Amy.

"And I still don't get the bow tie," added the Doctor.

"What?" said the other Doctor. "Bowties are cool."

"So it looks like we've been pulled together, once again," said Amy, eyeing Hermione suspiciously.

"Yeah, looks like it," said Hermione.

"Now maybe you can tell me what that is?" said the Doctor, pointing to the crack.

"Ah, yes, we've been trying to figure that out ourselves," said the other Doctor. "Well, more to the point we've got it sorted out but we're trying to figure out where they've come from. More specifically, how to stop them…"

"Just…hold on," said Amy. "So you're trying to tell me that you're the same person?" she said.

"Not a good time," said the Doctor, with the other Doctor adding, "I'll explain later."

"He always says that," said both Amy and Hermione, and despite the tense situation at hand they both burst into a fit of giggles.

"So, how long as it been since the last time we met you?" asked Hermione.

"Just a few minutes," said the other Doctor. "Quite a shock, I must say, this is supposed to be a rare event."

"It is a rare event," said the Doctor. "Which makes me wonder."

"Hey, hold on," said Amy. "If those cracks swallow up complicated space time events…well, this has got to be the most complicated space time event like…ever," she said. "Two of you meeting like this and all."

"Yeah, I'd say so," said the Doctor. "She's a smart one," he said conversationally.

"Thank you," said Amy. "You could learn a thing or two from him," she said pointedly to the other Doctor.

"I did," he said. "For example, stay away from the British Monarchy, it only leads to trouble. What was I thinking with old Bess anyway? I mean yeah, she's a looker, but…oh, still a bit fresh, isn't it," he said, noticing the quizzical look on the Doctor's face. "Never mind."

"So, what do we do about that?" said the Doctor after a few moments. He gestured up toward the sky. "Is your TARDIS working? We're frozen out of mine."

"Ours as well. It doesn't seem like anything mechanical," he said thoughtfully. "It's just…for some reason, we've been locked out."

"Ah. Fantastic," said the Doctor.

"Ah ah, that was nine," mused the other Doctor with a small smirk.

The Time Witch watched as the four gathered together on the street below. Things were falling into place as she knew they would, but she couldn't help but feel a small tremor of relief in her chest as she watched it happening. The keys were tingling in her jacket pocket, wide blue eyes flashing as she went over the next several steps she would have to take.

The two TARDISes were on either side of the street. That in itself was going to be enough to draw the crack in time closer. But it wouldn't be enough, and there was much more that needed to take place.

She glanced into a nearby window, wide blue eyes stern as she thought of the task at hand. "Here we go," she said thoughtfully, and moving off of the roof, she jumped nimbly to the ground below.

"We don't have much time," she said. The four turned to stare at her when she spoke.

"You again!" said Hermione in surprise.

The Time Witch smiled. "I'm sorry but I can't really explain. Hermione…it's time."

"Time for what?" said Hermione.

"Time for you to die." Everybody screamed as the Time Witch lashed out, fingers wrapping around Hermione's neck. Both Doctors moved forward in an attempt to pull her off and two Sonic Screwdrivers screamed in unison as they attempted to end her grasp on Hermione.

Everything suddenly went white as a surge of the Time Witch's consciousness went rushing through her mind. She gasped and her eyes closed. The Doctor caught her as the Time Witch released her and she went limp. The Time Witch disapparated away before anybody could touch her.

The Doctor laid her out on the ground, calling her name several times. After a little while Mrs. Granger came rushing out from the office nearby, running over. "Get her inside!" shouted the Doctor. "She's in a great deal of danger!"

The woman, pale, nodded, and with both Doctor's carrying her Hermione was taken inside and laid out on one of the long office sofas. "Stay with her," said the other Doctor, wagging his finger at Amy, who would usually have protested but at the moment was compelled to take Hermione by the hand, whispering something to her that nobody else could hear.

"So what's the plan?" said the other Doctor.

"How am I supposed to know, eleven?" said the Doctor irritably. "I don't even know what she is. She keeps saying things…like she knows what's going happen, that things have to play out a certain way…I'm not certain why…"

"Well, then, what do we do now?"

"It looks like we're going to have to play her game, for now," he said. "And, if I'm not mistaken, she's left us a clue," said the Doctor. He pointed to a white arrow that had been chalked on the concrete, leading away from the building. He broke into a run, with the other Doctor close at hand, and they began to find more arrows, following them away and down the street.

They found the Time Witch sitting in the center of the park, looking at the gold watch in her hand as they approached. "Not a minute late," she said. "Just as planned."

"Now tell me, what is the meaning of this?" said the Doctor.

"You boys need to listen up and listen well." She unfolded her legs and stood, crossing her arms. "Hermione will be fine in a few minutes. I've only unlocked the latent Time Lady consciousness in her mind. You're surprised by that," she said, glancing at the other Doctor, "and you aren't."

"I sensed it before," he said quietly. "What does it mean?"

"It means that soon she will be more than she ever dreamed of," said the Time Witch. "I've been leading her towards this moment for a while now. It is only fitting that I should be here for the moment of her birth. And her rebirth."

"What do you mean, her birth? And why does she have the consciousness of a Time Lady?" asked the Doctor.

The Time Witch was silent for several moments. "You will understand all in just a little while," she said. "But first, I must do something." She took a step forward, and placed a kiss on the Doctor's cheek. Then, before he could turn away, he felt something sharp enter into his chest. The blade pierced his left heart and he fell forward, gasping as a large pool of blood spread over his shirt. "I'm so sorry," she whispered before the blade entered his chest again, piercing the other heart. Then she vanished.

The other Doctor caught him, staring in shock. "This didn't happen…this has to be an illusion, some sort of strange…this never happened. I may never happen."

"I can assure you," gasped the Doctor, "that this is happening. Get…me…to….her!" he gasped.

The other Doctor nodded, and doing his best to maneuver his way back with the Doctor on his shoulder they made their way to the office. Hermione had just begun to come round when almost instantaneously the Doctor was dragged in and laid out on the ground, and a young woman rushed in with a small infant in her arms. The child was still, and only a few months old.

"He's been stabbed. I think he's about to regenerate," said the other Doctor, moving everybody away from the Doctor.

The Time Witch smiled, glancing at the baby in her arms. "She's just died," she said. "Abandoned, it would seem. Look at the bracelet on her arm. Her name was Hermione."

Everyone froze, except Hermione. She looked from the child, the infant version of herself, and to the dying Doctor. Then, with a small smile, she knelt beside him. "You aren't meant to die, not like this," she said. "Let the regeneration begin," she said quietly, "just enough to heal you. I'm going to channel the rest off into the baby, okay?"

The Doctor stared at her with wide, frightened eyes, and slowly nodded. The wounds on his chest began to heal and his breath grew less haggard. Then, with a great force of will, Hermione focused every ounce of her magical ability on the regeneration energy that surrounded the Doctor. She focused it on the lifeless infant, letting it surround the girl. Her coloring changed, her hair becoming slightly darker and more wavy, her eyes deepening to brown. And then she cried.

"Time Lady consciousness…just a little bit," said the Doctor, stunned. "And the magic…all the excess magic she's absorbed…protected her mind."

"She's half Time Lady," said the other Doctor, nodding appreciatively. "Bravo, Hermione."

The Doctor jumped to his feet. "You can feel it now, can't you? You know what you are? Everything?"

"Yes," said Hermione. But she wasn't smiling. "Which is unfortunate. Because I know what has to happen next, Doctor." She began walking outside, and looked into the crack. "This crack is what is holding the TARDISes in place right now. The two of you together have created the largest anomaly in time in space to ever exist. Until me. Because I just saved my own life. And because of that…I have to die. It's the only way to even things out."

"What? Hermione, you're…you don't understand, you'll be erased from existence."

"Then perhaps it's for the best," she said. And before anybody could do anything she had fallen backwards, deep into the crack. It began to glow brighter, and suddenly sealed itself up around her and closed.

The Doctor stared, stunned, at the spot where she had just been standing. Then all of a sudden he felt the memory of her beginning to blur itself out in his mind. "No!" he gasped, struggling to hold on, but he knew somehow that it was more than crack that was erasing her from his memory. Hermione had done it herself, using those final moments to obliterate anything from his mind that would cause him pain.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the TARDIS taking off. When he opened them, he felt a dull ache in his chest and a strange emptiness in his mind. He stood staring into the darkness for a long moment, thinking that there was something he needed but had completely forgotten. But it was lost. With a sigh, he made the decision.

Hitting the dials, he put in the coordinates that would lead him to the Planet of the Ood.

_Epilogue_

"I don't want to go!"

With those words the regeneration energy blazed up bright and golden, surrounding the Doctor in a fiery blaze that erupted throughout the TARDIS, rocking it to its very core. He began to scream as the process took over, everything growing and taking new shape as he became, once again a new man.

Deep inside the heart of the universe, a young woman cried out in the darkness. A golden light surrounded her as the sympathetic energies of the Doctor's regeneration brought her back to life. It burst around her and she was propelled back into the universe, landing on an alien moon, staring into a bright orange sun.

Her eyes opened and she gasped at the sudden sensation of two hearts beating in her chest. Her trench coat was tattered. She pulled this off, and crawling on hands and knees she found a patch of ice in which to check her appearance.

Where once her hair bad been frizzy and dark brown it was now bright gold, falling in ringlets to her shoulders, and her eyes were a bright green. A spray of freckles crossed her nose, a nose that was longer and more feminine than it had been before. She had known it was coming but still it was a surprise to know that she was not only alive, but born anew.

Slowly she stood, listening to the thrumming of her new hearts. She had been thrown deep into time and space, but she had an eternity to find her way home. No longer Hermione Granger, she had become the Time Witch.


	13. Author's Note

**A Doc, A Bookworm, and a Box**

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Since so many of you have this story listed on alert I wanted to drop you a line, in case you hadn't caught it yet, that the first chapter of my next installment, A Doc, A Looney, and a Box has been posted already and you can find it on my account. So come, hopefully enjoy the new story, and make sure to tell me what you think!

And a special thank you for driving me to finish this story. I absolutely loved it and I'm glad others did too!


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